Rough Relationships
by broodingbrat
Summary: Robins bad luck takes a turn for the better when a grey eyed hot-head arrives at Mount Justice. Against all odds he falls for her. "She has a temper that rivals Superboys, plus the power, skills, and intelligence to actually do something with it. She seems more secluded than Batman, ruder than Artemis, and to top it off, she seems...unstable."
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own any characters apart from Alex Matthews. Unfortunately, I do not own the rights to 'Young Justice' either.**

Rough Relationships

Dick POV: 

"Alright Dick, stay whelmed. Everything's going to be OK; Wally won't kill you, Batman won't hate you. Just breath. And stop talking to yourself…that cannot be healthy."

Past:

_I released my trademark cackle, swerving Artemis's left hook: as her sparring partner, and after 30min of non-stop fighting, I was beginning to discover her weaknesses. She tried to deliver a roundhouse kick to my head, but I ducked easily, rising quickly underneath her raised thigh and using her own momentum to push her leg farther upwards. She lost her balance landing on her back. I grinned at her, and offered my hand, my eyes filled with laughter behind my robin mask. "You put way too much force behind your attacks, it leaves a lot of space inbetween each of your movements when you're most vulnerable." _

_She shoved my outstretched hand away and stood up, towering over me by a lot of inches. "Thanks for advice Boy Blunder." She rolled her eyes good naturedly. "But I'm sick of sparring, I don't get how you can train for hours without dropping dead."_

_I shrug my shoulders "Its a Bat thing." _

_Artemis nods her head and gives me a look "An impressive Bat thing." _

_That's when I felt it, that...something. I saw her differently: Her curves, the shape of her mouth, her chest which seemed to be protruding out of her sweat soaked costume. My cheeks began to to turn red, and I ran a hand through my spiky hair. All the while, she was speaking, saying something about Wally. "...he's a total dork, and he eats waaaay to much, but he Is my boyfriend, so there must be something good about him." I tuned back out as those foreign feelings intensified. I stepped closer to her and she paused in surprise. I pulled her head closer to mine, straining to reach her lips, and finally, we collided. It was good, soooo good, I felt my body responding, eager to draw her closer. Then she kneed me between the legs. I doubled over, wheezing with the effort of barely supressing my groans, my face flushed with pain and passion. She narrowed her eyes and glared at me, grinding out her words. "What the hell is wrong with you. I'm dating Wally, YOUR best friend." She shook her head in a state of bewilderment, stepping away from me, then her eyes turned cold and she advanced, slapping me across the face. One of her nails left a bloody trail across my cheek. "Robin if..." She trailed off as I stood up and she saw my face...my eyes. She'd hit me hard enough to knock off my mask. She blinked in surprise and recognition then her face resumed its stony expression as she continued her speech. "You need to make this right...Dick. Tell Wally." Then she turned and left me alone. _

Present:

I arrive at the Wayne Manor pretty late in the evening, I run up the stairs past Alfred and into my room, sitting heavily on my bed.

I thought we were having a moment or... Or something. I thought she wanted it. She smiled at me, and complimented me, then she gave me that stare, and that kiss. Damn that kiss. She really didn't feel it? Yeah we're years apart, but that kiss was asterous. Then it became disasterous. Heavy on the Dis. I screwed up everything, Wally, Bruce, Artemis; all broken relationships. The worst thing is that Artemis knows who I am now, and she barely acknowledged it. I have no idea what, or if, she's going to do anything with that information. "Damn."

I turn my head as I hear footsteps approching my door, a knock resonates through my room.

"Master Richard, Is everything all right? You seemed to be in a state of distress when you first arrived home." My face turns red in embarrasment at Alfreds comment, at 15 years of age the thought of anyone seeing me so vulnerable makes me want to crawl and hide.

"Don't you have somewhere else to be? I'm fine." I grumble.

Alfred keeps his concerned tone of voice, ignoring my slight attitude. "That would be more convincing If I could see your face Master Richard." He tries the handle and sees its locked.

Suddenly I hear Bruces voice through the door. "Dick, what's going on. Open the door."

A wave of shame and fear washes over me. "I... can't. I can't Bruce. Just leave me alone." I don't want to face them. I especially don't want to face Bruce, not after revealing my, and in connection, his, deepest secret to Artemis. I rub my forehead with my hand and remove my sunglasses, finding it increasingly difficult to keep my meltdown to a minimum.

Alfred knocks on the door again, his concerned voice giving way to fear "Are you hurt Master Richard? Have you sustained some sort of injury?"

Bruce's voice begins to show hints of annoyance. "Dick, stop behaving so childish and open this door. I will not tell you again. If necessary I will use force."

I stand up and walk towards my bed, using all the strength in my body to push it against my door. "Let's see you force through that." I mutter bitterly towards the dark knight on the other side of the wall. I doubt he can hear me, but that little bit of rebellion makes my heart feel lighter. After what seems like hours there is no sound outside my door, I breathe a sigh of relief, gradually slipping into a restless sleep.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

When I wake up my bed is back to its original position against the wall, and I find that my door is unlocked. Bruce must have been in here without me even realising. I shake my head in disbelief. Some 'Boy Wonder' I am. I rise from my bed and leave my room, heading down the stairs towards the kitchen when I bump into Alfred.

He has a concerned yet annoyed look on his face but delivers his words as calmly and formally as always. "Master Bruce wishes to see you."

I give him a sheepish grin, an apology for my behaviour evident in my eyes. "Thanks Alfred."

I walk towards the Bat cave like a lamb to the slaughter, measuring every step so that each successive one is slower than the first. My hands become wet with perspiration and my mind goes into overdrive as if kick-started by a jolt of electricity. Bruce knows. He must. He knows that I revealed our secret, he's going to un-adopt me, or ban me from being Robin, or maybe he's going to...

My thoughts are interrupted when I find myself standing beside Batman, he doesn't look up from his huge computer, doesn't even acknowledge my existence, and all colour drains from my face.

He continues typing, then he stops when he gets an alert of a robbery in downtown Gotham. "We're going on patrol." He looks at me through his cowl, a slight twitch of it the only indication of his narrowing eyes as he observes my rigid posture and pasty skin. "Get into costume. Thieves work quickly, they won't wait for the Boy Wonder. And neither will I." Then he turns and stalks out of the Batcave. I just stand there for a few seconds, frozen by a blinding relief. He doesn't know anything, he's just being typical grumpy Batman. I grin at this realisation, and race to my room to change into my Robin costume.

ZzzzzzZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

High above Gotham City in the dead of night there sits a costumed bird, with colours as loud as the sirens emitting from the violated jewellery store. Besides this Robin, hovers a region of shadow that comes and goes, seemingly blinking in and out of existence at a whim. An acquantance to the dark, yet an ally of the light.

"Why can't we just beat them up already. We're wasting time." Translation, I have a lot of teenage drama going on, so let's get this over with. I sigh. Its been a long night.

I notice the slight tightening of Batmans fist as my complaints disrupt his concentration. He meets my impatience with a monotone answer, never once turning to address me directly. "A hero without patience is a liability to himself and those around him. Do not be a liability." Then he swings down from the roof and into the jewellery store, timing his entry down to the second inorder to avoid a barrage of bullets. I follow directly behind him, my mind slowly drifting.

ZzzzzzZzzZzzz

A simple job. All I had to do was take down the men carrying the jewellery. It should have been done in seconds, no problem. Instead, Batman had to save me. How humiliating. I sink lower into the back seat of the Batmobile, unable to bring myself to sit in the passenger seat beside him. We drive back to the manor in silence, the burden of embarrasement stealing my voice.

I notice Batmans hands tighten on the steering wheel and mentally prepare myself. "Robin." I look away from his back and face the darkened windows. "You failed a simple assignment. It seems as though your concentration is divided."

Of course my concentration is divided. I roll my eyes behind my mask. Each time I tried to attack I saw Artemis's eyes, tasted her lips, felt her hair, and it stung me to realise over and over again that she didn't want me.

I tune back into Batmans one-man guilt lecture as his voice gains an edge of steel. "As soon as you put on that costume you have a responsibility, not just to the innocents, but to yourself. I expect you to put your personal problems aside and focus on the mission. You know better than to allow your personal life and hero life to mix. I taught you better, so I expect your best."

I stare hard at the window, suddenly interested in a mark left from a dislodged bullet a few weeks back. I swallow hard, as a lump builds up in my thoat. "You don't need to tell me that. I know that people count on me, and I try to seperate both my lives, but when it comes down to it Dick and Robin are still the same people. They're both me." My head starts spinning, and I have to blink rapidly to hold back the tears. "Its hard. You...you don't know what I'm dealing with. I think I've messed _everything_ up Bruce." I put my head in my hands and breath rapidly, holding back my tears in order to save what little self-respect I have left.

Batman doesn't even blink, there is no change to his voice or posture, he remains stoic. "If you can not deal with both your personal issues and your heroic duties, then I was wrong. You are clearly not well suited to being a superhero."

My head shoots up and I stare at him in disbelief, trying, and failing, to reign myself in from the edge of an emotional breakdown. "What?! I've been Robin for years, and I've proved over and over again that I am more than capable of the job. Just because I'm going through some problems, you want to cut me out?! You can't even pretend to care?!" I can feel my face reddening in anger and the lump in my throat returns, two times the size. I quickly fumble for the door handle of the Batmobile, suddenly very desperate to leave. "I can't believe you're allowed to adopt. You're a screw-up as a dad." I growl, my voice breaking with the sheer pressure of holding in the tears. I shoot my grappling hook to the nearest building and swing away. For one second, just one second... I think I see Batman frown.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own any characters apart from Alex Matthews. Unfortunately, I do not own the rights to 'Young Justice'.**

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

I stop in an abandoned construction site. Its an eye-sore for most of the community, but It was once an adventure park for me and Wally. I sit down on a swinging I-beam and let silent tears fall. Right now I'd gladly lock Batman and the Joker in a room for a few hours, just to see who comes out the most broken. I smile at my cruel sense of humour and shake my head. Whenever I'm around Bats its like I've turned into a kid again, bawling and whining and shouting. I sigh heavily.

In the past, It made sense when Bruce couldn't come to my chess tournaments or gymnastic competitions, he was always busy being Batman. I just thought that when I became Robin, when I became a superhero like him, he wouldn't have to _try_ to spend time with me anymore, it'd just become something he'd want to do. I assumed that we'd be closer and he'd want to hear my problems. I assumed wrong. He only cares about Robin his precious crime-fighting partner.

If I wasn't Robin, I'd be nothing to him.

Wallys POV:

Three days has passed and no one has seen or heard from Robin. Batman is giving away no clues as to where he is and everyone else thinks its because Robins on some super secret mission. I just think its because the big guy has no idea himelf. I mean seriously, Dick was trained by Bats himself, if the dude doesn't want to be found, you can be sure he won't be found.

I reach to grab Artemis' hand as she sits on my lap, trying to distract myself from worrying over Dick. The cave is pretty quiet and it seems like its just me and her, it really increases the romance, especially as were watching some black and white movie with the lights dimmed. I squeeze her hand tighter, savouring this moment with the girl of my dreams. Unwilling to let go of her, afraid that this might just be a fantasy, that it could all dissapear with the blink of an eye, that she'd realise she's too good for- Then I see the bowl of popcorn, and all my love is transferred to the food. How long has the popcorn been there, taunting me with its buttery curves? Teasing me with its crunchy beauty?

I tear my hand out of Artemis' without a second thought and grab the bowl. The action causes her to slip off of my knee and loose her balance, I reach for her, and my bowl of popcorn goes flying. _That's_ when everything freezes. I look at the popcorn, then I look at her, then at the popcorn again, then her...

I grab the popcorn out of the air, and she falls flat on the ground.

She glares at me. "My hero."

I shrug, and smile at her sheepishly. "You're my second best thing after food. Trust me, that's a huge honour."

She rolls hers eyes and mutters sarcastically "Yippee." She stands up and sits on the couch, flinging her legs out to 'accidentely' knock over my bowl. I watch in horror as it falls, witnessing the death of something I love. I close my eyes and turn my head unable to watch its gruesome end. She stands up and stretches right in front of me, blocking the view of my fallen friend. She smirks. "Ooops. You must be heartbroken." Then she walks out of the room her smile growing ever larger.

Suddenly an alarm sounds in the cave, signalling the entrance of an intruder.

Robins POV:

Three days. Three days I've been at this construction site wallowing in my own self pity. And I'm sick of it. If Batman was here he'd tell me to quit being so self-absorbed, to act like the hero I am. But who cares what he thinks, screw him. And screw Artemis. I'm over that stupid crush, I have to be for Wally. Now If I could just convince her to drop the subject, then all my problems would be solved. I'd leave her alone, I'd never have a one-on-one sparring session with her, hell, I'd never talk to her. If she could just pretend I didn't kiss her, just pretend she doesn't know mine and Batmans secret ID. Just pretend...

I stand up, stretching out my sore muscles, and swing back to the manor as the moon rises. I sneak into my room, bath, and change into a clean Robin uniform, with a level of stealthiness that even Bats would be proud of. My wrist computer begins to beep, signalling an intruder in Mount Justice, as I start to leave Alfred approaches me.

"It is indeed a delight to see you return home healthy and unharmed Master Richard." He smiles at me.

I stare back. "How did you know I was back?"

"Master Bruce informed me of your arrival. He also wishes to see you in the Bat Cave."

I frown at that. Obviously my attempts at sneakiness weren't good enough. I want to refuse to meet Bruce, but my curiosity gets the better of me. "OK"

In the Batcave, Batman is standing besides the Batmobile and his posture is rigid. When he see's me it relaxes a little and he gets straight down to business. "There's been a breach in Mount Justice security. All members of your team are being called to identify the threat. Your presence is required."

Well hello to you too, I think grumpily, the statement dripping with sarcasm. Then he gets into the Batmobile, a silent invitation for me to follow. I sit in the passenger seat and stew in my own anger. Not even a simple hello, I've been gone for three days and he doesn't want to talk about what's been bugging me, doesn't want to talk about our fight. Nothing. "Say something Bruce."

He continues driving and after about a minute he decides to grace me with his speech. "You shouldn't have dissappeared." I let out a small smile, finally hearing from the father figure that cares about Dick, not Robin. But then he continues talking. "Gotham needs Robin now, just as much as it needs Batman, and yet you disappeared for three days without a single thought of all the civilians you were dissapointing. You neglected your heroic duties without a thought. Those are not the actions of a true hero, and they are not the actions of The Boy Wonder."

I glare at him, and push his hand from the wheel, replacing it with mine, I swerve off the road and reach for the breaks to stop the car. He looks at me calmly, his cowl hiding any hint of emotion, and that's when I loose it. I tear off my mask and look him straight in the face. "Of course those weren't the actions of your precious 'Boy Wonder', those were the actions of your_ son_ who was falling apart! I needed...wanted..." My anger suddenly vanishes and Im left feeling unsure, what if he decides not to acknowledge my words? What if he's ashamed by my level of dependency? My throat clamps up and I refuse to speak. That's when Bruce removes his cowl, a silent gesture to show me he's listening. I take a deep breath and continue. "I needed a father figure. But you weren't there for me Bruce. You're never there for me."

Bruce still doesn't look at me, the only change to his picture-still face is a raised eyebrow. "I've saved you numerous times from Two-face, Joker, Scarecrow-"

I sigh in exasperation. "As _Robin_. You've always been there for Robin. Never helped Dick. You only ever pay attention to me when I'm a superhero. Three days ago I was trying to open up to you, to get some stuff off my chest, but you just kept on being Batman, focusing on the hero life. I wanted to talk to Bruce." I take a deep breath and run my hand through my hair, I turn towards the window and scrunch my eyes shut. "You only care about Robin...you only care about me as a superhero." I clench my jaw in pure embarrassment.

He turns back to the wheel of the car, the only indication of his discomfort being the slight tightening of his hand on the wheel. "We can discuss this later."

I turn around quickly. "No. You can't do this to me again. Stop pushing my problems aside, they're just as important as any superhero issues."

Batman starts up the car, seemingly ignoring me. "We will discuss this when we are back at the manor. Put on your mask."

I frown at his easy dismissal: _this_ is why I feel like a child around him. I narrow my eyes, pouring acid into my words. "You can't even_ fake_ an interest in me." I shake my head. "I get it now. I'm not of any importance to you. As long as I do my job as a walking punching bag for criminals, nothing else matters." I curl my lip in contempt.

Batman continues driving, with his cowl removed I notice the slight tug at the ends of his mouth. Not quite a frown, but not indifferent either. "You are important."

I blink, waiting, no, needing more. When nothing comes I give a derisive snort. "Very touching Bruce. You managed to say all three words whilst avoiding eye contact, keeping your monotone, and eliminating all positive body language." I pitch my voice deeper layering it with sarcasm. "Why don't you just say 'I love you' whilst holding a knife to my neck. I'm sure it will send the message."

He remains exactly the same, apparently unaffacted by my sarcasm. "You are important to me. Not just as a superhero." His voice keeps its monotone sound, and his frozen face remains still, pointing towards the cars in front, completely ignoring the whole point of my earlier words. He turns towards me for the first time during the whole trip. "Very important."

I nod in understanding, attempting to push down my overflowing happiness and keep a straight face. An awkward silence follows, then Bruce speaks again. "Tell me."

I blink in confusion. "Tell you what?" He remains silent, and I struggle not to punch the door in frustration. Does he think that in the three days I was gone I suddenly developed the power to read minds?

He just continues driving, waiting a good three minutes before he speaks. "Everything."

I grind my teeth, his short handed sentences and quiet treatment tactics are seriously starting to irritate me. I know that its just typical Bruce behaviour, but I was really hoping he would open up a little more, maybe we could try that whole father son bonding thing. Of course I'd never admit it to his face. I clear my throat "Its nothing really...just teenage drama... You know." I mutter.

He replaces his cowl. "I can only listen if you speak."

I take a deep breath and speak rapidly, suddenly feeling ridiculous about telling Batman my teenage problems. I decide to only give him the need-to-know info, no need to throw away anymore of my dignity. "Artemis knows our secret Identities."

He turns briefly to look at me, he's probably aware that I missed out a huge chunk of that story. Then nods slowly to himself. "Alright."

I raise my eyebrows. "What does that mean. And why aren't you freaking out?"

"I'm certain Artemis will keep our secret. Just like Kid Flash."

I nod, slightly taken aback by his easy going attitude, and we slip into a comfortable silence as we reach the zeta tubes. I put my mask on as we zeta into Mount Justice where Wally, Artemis, M'gaan, Superboy, and Kaldur are waiting.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own any characters apart from Alex Matthews. Unfortunately, I do not own the rights to 'Young Justice'.**

Batman goes to the computer, while I stand beside Kaldur. "It is good to see you again my friend. We have missed you on many missions."

I smile up at him. "Thanks, great to see you aswell. I guess I just needed some alone time. To sort some stuff out."

He nods, even though I'm sure he has no idea what I'm talking about. Wally speeds up to me. "Hey man, long time no see. Where did you disappear to? And did you hear? Someones getting through security. I guess the Bat aint some kind of mutant super nerd afterall."

At that, Batman turns around to give Wally a third-degree batglare. I shake my head. Man, if looks could kill.

Wally blinks innocently in a maze of confusion. "What? What did I say?"

Suddenly Artemis appears behind him and face palms. "You insulted his intelligence Baywatch."

Wally just stares at her.

She rolls her eyes in exasperation, and her grey orbs come to rest on my face. "Robin. Have any secrets you want to share?" My eyes widen. That was not subtle at all; in fact it was down right random.

Wally perks up. "Sweet, I love secrets, I can carry a secret to my grave. Just ask Superboy, he told me that he hates M'gaans cookies. Apparently they taste like dirt." Wally pauses in realisation of his mistake. "Ah man..."

I ignore Wallys babbling and grab Artemis' forearm, dragging her away from the rest of the group. "Listen, I've had time to think about this, and if you can keep your mouth shut about me and you then Wally doesn't have to get hurt."

Artemis gives a mirthless laugh. "You couldn't keep _your_ mouth shut, you just had to kiss me."

I give her a look. "This isn't a joke Artemis, If you tell Wally you're going to ruin years of friendship."

Artemis' eyes turn cold. "Me and Wally, our relationship is built on trust. He trusts me to be honest with him, and I trust him. So If you're not man enough to tell him that you kissed me, that you have feelings for me, then I'll tell him myself."

I swallow hard and remain silent. She's right, I'm afraid to tell Wally, and It's not just because I kissed her, It's because I like her as more than a friend. Pretending can only fool those around you, but its hard to pretend to yourself.

Her voice softens as she sees my change in expression. "Listen Dick, you and me, we'll always be friends. What you did doesn't change anything between us. But I love Wally. Hell, I'm imagining a future together. You'll find someone right for you, just you wait."

I turn away from her. "I don't want your pity."

"Good, because I'm not offering." I turn around at the familiar voice. Wally. "You kissed my girlfriend dude."

I stare at him, and he stares back. Then all hell breaks loose.

Wally runs at me with super speed, pushing me against a wall, all of his childlike joy suddenly gone. The other team members are gathering around us in shock, whilst Batman announces that all of his security systems have just been breached. Wally raises his fist about to punch me but I push him off with both my feet, bracing my arms against the wall. Then we all freeze as a blinding light appears in the cave, anger forgotten for the moment we all stare at the threat that emerges.

A girl. She seems to have been flung out of the white light, hitting the wall with a loud thump. She slowly picks herself up from the ground, breathing heavily and looking around in confusion. I stare at her: she has brown hair tied in a messy ponytail, black trainers, a plain black tank top, and black fingerless gloves with grey sweatpants. She seems to be about the same height as me. She has a knife strapped to each arm.

"What the hell?" She turns around in a full circle and sees that she's surrounded, then pushes herself closer to the wall and takes up a fighting stance. "Back off you costumed freaks. You do not want to mess with me."

Batman is the first to recover. "Who are you and what is your purpose here?"

She smirks. "Hey, check it out. A giant bat. Now that's not something you see every day. Aren't you a little old to be playing dress-up?"

Wally and Artemis chuckle at that, but Artemis stops when Batman gives her a steely look. Wally, however, doesn't get the hint and keeps laughing till he recieves a sharp elbow to the ribs.

Batman takes a steps closer. "Answer the question, or we will hold you captive for breaching Justice League security."

The mysterious girl visibly tenses. "Back. Off."

Batman moves closer, planning to intimidate her into co-operating.

Her eyes narrow. "Why doesn't anyone ever listen?" She shakes her head and lunges for him.

Alex POV:

I lunge at the huge Bat but a cloud of smoke obscures my vision. I curse, and remove my two knives, hesitant to use my powers of energy manipulation in case I loose control. I walk backwards slowly, close my eyes against the smoke, and strain my ears. I hear...something. Something moving fast like a cheetah on steroids. I twist my body up into the air and land on the speeding blur, its a boy, and he stops when he realises I'm riding his shoulders. I bare my teeth at him. "Thanks for the ride." Then I flip off of him and stab him in the foot. He won't be running anywhere for a while. I turn around to see a black-haired boy in a cape heading towards me; he looks around my age with spiky black hair and a traffic light costume. I grin at his boldness; it's a pretty brave colour scheme to pull off. Me, I stick with the neutrals. He aims a well-placed kick at my head and I feint to the left only to follow through with a right roundhouse kick. He grabs my foot and uses my own momentum to swing me across the room.

I land in a heap in the arms of a really muscular boy with a black t-shirt that has an 'S' on it. I frown up at him. "Hey, you're not in costume. Guess I weren't the only one who didn't get the memo." Then I twist my body and wrap my legs around his head, for a brief second I'm in a handstand position, before I use my legs to throw him into the green girl tending to the red-headed speedster.

The giant Bat appears out of nowhere and I spring out of my crouch using my knives to slash at him. His fists and feet move faster than I'm used to and before I know it I'm backed against a wall no longer attacking, but defending myself. I grunt with the effort of blocking his powerful blows but he gets a fist to my head and I wince in pain. Damn, he's got a hard fist. I hook my legs around his and pull them apart lodging one of my knives into his shoulder. Then I dive through the gap in his legs and stand up, being met with a fist to the face by the multi-coloured moron. I choke back my cries of pain. "An eye for an eye…" I feel my tooth loosen slightly and taste blood. "And a tooth for a tooth." I backhand him across the face and cut right through the middle of his black mask. It falls to the floor, and for a brief second I see his cute face, and blue orbs, and I can't stop staring. Then he dives for cover and removes a spare mask from his belt replacing the old one before anyone notices. In my split second of distraction something pins me to the wall. I hit it hard and look up.

Wow, beaten by an archer. Now that's just humiliating.

Bat guy approaches me but turns to the green skinned girl. "Ms Martian, It seems we need to use force. Get her name and her purpose here." The green skinned girl...Ms Martian, nods, and her eyes glow green.

"'Her' is right here you brainless bat." I mutter. Then I hiss in pain as my head starts to hurt, it feels like the information is being ripped from my brain. The pain is so intense I begin to blackout as I hear Ms Martian speak. "Her name is Alexandra Matthews, she has no purpose here."

ZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzZ

Dicks POV:

I don't see why Batman gave me _and_ Wally the job of guarding Alex's holding cell. Didn't he see Wally try to kill me earlier? Or does he just enjoy watching me suffer. "Wally." He ignores me. "Hey Wally, can we just talk about this?"

Wally frowns at me "_You_ can talk all you want. But I'm not listening. If you know what's good for you dude, you'd just drop it."

"Or else what? I'm trying to sort this mess out, the least you could do is meet me half way."

"Dick, I'm serious. I don't want to talk about this. Just drop the subject before I loose it."

I scoff. "What exactly will you do when you 'loose it'?"

He looks straight into my eyes. "I'll beat the shit out of you."

I bulk at Wally's swearing, but re-arrange my features back to neutral. "Let's be honest man...you couldn't beat me if you tried."

He gives me a hateful look. "Let me get this straight. I find out that you have feelings for my girlfriend, then you kiss her, and now you're insulting me?" He shakes his head. "Dude, you're the ultimate best friend." He says his voice dripping with sarcasm.

I rub my hand over my face. "No I didn't mean...It wasn't...listen man, _I'm sorry_. Our friendship is real important to me, and I don't want to loose that. You've always got my back, and sometimes when everything goes wrong...It feels like its me and you against the world."

Wally just looks at me and then bursts out laughing. "Dude, that was so gay." He imitates me in a high-pitched voice. "...Its me and you against the world."

I frown and punch him in the arm. "Shut up man." I mutter. After his laughs die down there's only silence, and I take a risk. "So, are we cool?"

He gives me a serious look. "Yeah dude, we're cool. We're bro's you know."

I nod in relief, and we slip into a comfortable silence.

Then we hear a clapping sound and turn to look through the bars of Alex's holding cell. "Wow, that was a kick-ass show. But I was really hoping for a cat fight between you two girls." She smirks at us and stands up, stretching her limbs behind the bars.

**Pls Read and Review guys. The more reviews, the faster I update.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own any characters apart from Alex Matthews. Unfortunately, I do not own the rights to 'Young Justice'.**

Alex POV:

I walk closer to the bars, angling towards the living traffic light. "So...Its Dick and Wally right?" I get no answer. "This world is pretty strange. Grown men in costumes, teenagers with odd names, you even have a girl that's green."

Dick and Wally exchange a look, but its Dick who speaks to me. "You're pretty strange yourself."

"Not to mention rude." Wally mutters underneath his breath.

I turn my head to face him. "You would be too if you were attacked by a nest of costumed cockroaches."

Wally frowns. "You're the cockroach."

"I know you are but what am I." I reply in a singsong voice.

They both stare at me like I've suddenly had a personality transplant. "What?"

Dick shakes his head. "Yep, you're just plain weird."

I don't know why, but that comment stings. I fake yawn. "You guys should go back to making out, or whatever it was you were doing. I want to get some rest before I escape."

Dick narrows his eyes. I shrug. "I'm a girl of many talents Duck."

He frowns. "Its Dick."

I grin at him. "I know. I like Duck better."

He shoots daggers at me, and Wally suppresses a laugh. "You have to admit, 'Duck' does have a certain ring to it."

"Your ears will have a ring to it when I punch you." Dick mumbles.

Wally smiles. "And that's my cue to leave. You think you can handle her for a while? I really need to take a nap, it's been a long day."

Dick just nods as Wally hobbles off, he turns to sit facing me. "So, you're Alex Matthews from a different dimension. You don't know how you got here. You can kick butt."

I nod at him. "Yeah. So what?"

"Now tell me three facts you know about me."

"What a stupid game." I roll my eyes, but join in anyway. "Your name is Duck."

He gets an annoyed look on his face. "My name's Dick, so that's not a fact."

I shrug my shoulders and smirk. Teasing him is just too easy. "I'm making it a fact."

He shakes his head "That's not how it works."

I sigh. "Fine. Whatever. Your name is Dick, you have blue eyes, and..." You look really cute when you frown. I clear my throat. "...You have an enormous head." I smirk at him.

He just stares at me, not the least bit self-conscious. "How do you...my eyes…" He trails off and his lack of concentration annoys me.

"Remember, I cut off your mask. That's old news anyway."

He blinks at me with a look of surprise. "Yeah, I guess it is." There's a moment of silence, then he asks me the question I knew he was leading up to. "Who are you?"

I look at him with a straight face betraying no emotion. "In my dimension I'm no-one. My parents died so I've been an orphan for a few years now. I don't do well with people." He gives me a sarcastic look that says 'Oh really'. I roll my eyes and continue. "So I don't have any friends, well, that and other reasons..." I take a deep breath. "Bottom line, being here is more of a blessing than a curse. I have nothing waiting for me at home."

He looks at me for a few seconds and then begins to speak in a low toned voice. "I lost my parents as well. When I was eigh-"

I groan in mock horror interrupting his story. "I don't remember asking you about your history. You wanted my story, I told you my story. End Of." I don't want a heart-to-heart. That would mean getting close, and everyone that gets close to me never sticks around for long.

He gives me a look of shock, then a hint of anger is shown. "Right. Alex Matthews: the world's most self-absorbed girl. No wonder you had no friends."

I flinch internally at that, then give him a forced smile. "Nah, I had no friends because of my freaky powers."

He's about to reply, but then pauses in confusion. "What? Freaky powers?"

"Yep. Energy manipulation." I raise my hand and build up a low voltage energy ball, then fling it at Dick. He convulses on the ground gasping in pain, then remains still. I concentrate hard to build up a beam of heat in my hands, it's only small, but its enough to melt through the lock. I swing the barred cell door open and walk up to Dicks prone figure. I lean down to check his pulse and a feeling of relief washes over me at its steady beat.

I walk out of the cell and grab my knives from the wall, placing them back into the straps on both my arms, then, strolling slowly down the halls of Mount Justice my mind drifts to a certain pair of bright blue eyes.

Zzzzzzzzzzz

After a series of twists and turns, I give up on finding food and sit in the gym. Its amazing that I kept on finding this place over and over again, but never once saw a kitchen.

I adjust my black fingerless gloves; my parents gave them to me back before they died. Back before I developed my powers. When life still held happiness.

From the moment I discovered my energy manipulating abilities, my life became a curse. I couldn't control it, so people around me dropped dead like flies to a bug-zapper. The government chased me down, I was considered 'armed and dangerous', they couldn't neutralise my powers so they tried to kill me. From that moment on I had to learn how to fight, how to survive. I did whatever it took: I betrayed people, stole from friends, beat up innocents. But I never killed: the accidental bloodshed on my hands was enough for a lifetime. When I learnt how to fight something inside me just clicked, and manipulating energy became second nature, gradually I was able to create electricity and summon small amounts of heat, like the knowledge was there all along.

I sigh, letting out a sad smile, then shake it off and head towards the sand dummies. I allow the energy to flow through my body and up into my hands which now holds my knives. I manipulate the energy into electricity and suddenly my hands and knives are crackling with bright white waves of power. I run at the sand dummies and slash at the legs, arms, and torso, sending jolts of high level voltage through its body. I flip backwards; slowly raising my legs in order to shoot double jolts of electricity through the soles of my feet. I miss my target creating a massive hole in the wall, and land on my back with melted shoes. The smell of charred rubber reaches my nose, and I retch in disgust, my eyes watering. I take a few deep breaths to calm down and the waves of electricity, which surrounded my brown hair, dissipates.

A loud siren goes off alerting the costumed weirdo's of my escape. I shake my head. "They wouldn't have survived a day in my shoes with such bad security." I look up through the charred opening in the wall and notice a bunch of teenagers gathering - behind them is a kitchen. I grin and walk towards the wall, climbing through the hole.

They all stare at me and the burning mass of rubble which I just walked through. Dick just shakes his head and mutters. "She has powers" As way of an explanation.

I reach the kitchen and prepare a sandwich, all the while keeping my back to the wall. "Before anyone tries to stop me, let me warn you: I'm starving. So if you get between me and my food - you will regret it."

The blond girl...Artemis I think, looks over at a boy with gills. "Kaldur it's your call, do we take her down?"

He shakes his head. "Let her be, she seems to wish us no harm."

A muscular boy groans and mutters. "Then why did you disturb my sleep. This is a total waste of time."

The green girl nods in agreement. "Superboy has a point, it does seem that were not needed."

I watch as Wally speeds up to the green girl, it seems as though his feet healed faster than I thought. "Don't worry Megan, I'm sure me and Rob can watch her."

Artemis scoffs. "Just like you and Robin watched her last time?"

Wally nods happily, completely oblivious to Artemis' sarcastic jab.

Dick gives me a death glare. I stare at him. "You know, one day your face is gonna stick like that D-"

Suddenly a boyish hand covers my mouth and I feel warm breath on my ear. I turn stiff and reach for my knife, barely registering what is being whispered into my ear. I flip the mystery boy over my shoulder and press a knife against his neck. Hard. "Do that again, and I will..." I trail off as I notice how everyone is staring at me, the looks on their faces are priceless, ranging from shock, to anger, to confusion. But I don't move until I see Dicks face. He looks pissed. Not that I care anyway. I push the mystery boy away from me, only now realising it was Wally. I calmly turn away to eat my sandwich.

Wally gasps as he begins to breathe again, the colour returning to his face. He coughs out his words. "I just wanted to tell you that he..." he points towards Dick. "goes by Robin when everyone's around. Not the name you were going to say."

I nod, refusing to back down and take the blame for this situation. "Ok. So you had to sneak up on me to say that? Dumb idea Wally."

He rubs his neck, then pulls his hand away when he feels a trickle of blood. He looks at his hand, then turns to face Kaldur. "You sure we can't take her down?"

Kaldur thinks about it then shakes his head. "There is no need for us to initiate the violence. Remember that this world is new to her, so we are foreign. It is expected that she would protect herself best she can. She is probably very frightened."

My head shoots up at that. "I. Am. _Not_. Frightened." I grind out, my hair coming loose from its messy ponytail and crackling with waves of electricity. I was frightened once before, and it led to my parents deaths. Never again will I be scared.

Kaldur looks at me, and then observes my hair. "My apologies. It was wrong of me to assume."

The waves of electricity enveloping my hair dims, and I glare at him. "Damn right it was."

Superboy just yawns. "This has been fun and all, but...Ah who am I kidding, you guys bore me. Im out of here."

Megan turns to leave with Superboy, and Wally just glares at me before silently exiting with Artemis who nudges me on her way out. Kaldur watches this exchange and sighs. "Robin, I guess its up to you. You can handle her right?"

Robin gives Kaldur a brief smile of acknowledgment before he too leaves.

**Please read and review guys, I can't write If I have no motivation. And thanks loads to my brilliant first follower, I updated ASAP because of you.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own any characters apart from Alex Matthews. Unfortunately, I do not own the rights to 'Young Justice'.**

Robin POV:

Alex is a total...well...a total bitch. It doesn't seem like she has a kind bone in her body. She has a temper that rivals Superboys, plus the power, skills, and intelligence to actually do something with it. She seems more secluded than Bruce, ruder than Artemis, and to top it off, she seems...unstable. Not in a dangerous way, but a sad way. Like her skin is tough enough to handle any amount of beatings, but can be shattered by one wrong word.

I walk towards the couch and turn the TV on, flipping through channels while partially keeping an eye on Alex. She puts her plate into the sink then slouches against the counter with a bored expression on her face, but every few seconds I notice her eyes travel in my direction. I turn towards her. "What are you looking at?"

Her cheeks colour a light pink then she coughs and arranges her features into an annoyed expression. "The TV, but I can't see much of it. Your head seems to be big enough to block the whole screen. How long have you been growing that thing?"

I frown at her. "You know, you could just come and sit on the couch."

She blinks. "Why would I want to sit next to you?"

I give her one of my proud smiles. "Because I'm Robin, you know, the Boy Wonder, teen superhero, Batmans protégé."

She gives me a withering look, but begins to walk over. "A five year old fighting crime is hardly what I call a teen superhero."

I roll my eyes. "I'm not five. I'm fifteen."

She smirks and nods her head in a mock sympathetic manner. "You keep telling yourself that. Maybe one day you'll believe it."

Alex POV:

Sitting next to Robin; now that's a turn of events. I thought he would have been the first person to walk out on me. He stops flicking through channels and I turn towards his masked face unveiling my most sarcastic tone. "Why'd you stop flicking? I was enjoying watching absolutely nothing."

He ignores me and begins with his own question. "You were out of your holding cell for a long time before I could pull the alarm, so why didn't you leave?"

I shrug. "Apart from the fact I couldn't actually find the exit? I have nowhere to go. For now, this is home. But don't get too excited, you people will never be family."

Robin scoffs. "Trust me, we all feel the same way about you."

"Good." I turn around again to continue pretending to watch TV, all the while sneaking glances at the multi-coloured moron.

Robin POV:

When I get back to the mansion Batman is on his computer trying to locate some mastermind criminal before its time for the dynamic duo to hit the streets of Gotham, he barely looks up at me when I enter the cave to give him his weekly report on Alex.

I tell him about her powers and complain about her attitude but he doesn't even nod in acknowledgement. I give him an angry look, and decide to test his concentration. "So today Alex convinced me to reveal my secret identity to the whole world." He continues typing, his face a flat mask. I frown in annoyance increasing the lies. "Then we ran around Mount Justice and hacked the security system, we spied on everyone." I smile at the creativity of my lies and get lost in the words. "Afterwards, we went up to my room and had this hot make out session, we ended up on the be-" I stop talking suddenly when I realise that Bruce is staring at me with a raised eyebrow. My face turns unbelievably red and I slowly back away from him trying to make it out of the cave before he asks me any awkward questions.

"Tell me again what you and Alex were doing on your bed." Too late. I look at the cowled face of my adoptive father and freeze. My mouth opening and closing like a goldfish, the only sound to be heard is a high-pitched wheeze as I attempt to speak.

He allows me to squirm in embarrassment for a while, fully aware that I was lying through my teeth the whole time. "You seem very interested in Alex. I assumed you had feelings for Artemis."

"I do...did...Alex is...I don't li...". I sigh. "Don't you have a criminal to look for?"

He nods and removes his cowl for an unobstructed view of the computer. The look on his face says 'thank goodness this conversation is over.' I walk out of the batcave and reach my room, locking the door to remove my clothes for a shower. I mutter to myself. "Maybe he should just stick with the superhero issues. It would make my life a lot less humiliating."

Alex POV:

I lay on the couch in Mount Justice spreading my body over the entire length, boredom was eating away at my sanity. Robin left a while ago, he decided that there was no need to guard me and I just said 'bye'. I sigh, at least when he was around there was someone I could annoy, but at 11.30pm there's no one around and nothing to do. A slow smile graces my face as an idea comes to mind. Time to explore. I walk over to what Robin called a zeta tube, and input the co-ordinates I watched him use, then I step into the blinding light and arrive in an alley way. I head towards an opening and emerge in a run-down, dirty street. The street light flickers and I look up to see a faded sign 'Welcome to Gotham', it seems to be decorated with bullet holes and an array of unidentified liquids, but my only real question is... How did blood get all the way up there? My skin suddenly feels cold, and the hairs on my arms stand erect, but I keep on walking into what I'm certain is a death trap of a city. Because turning back would be admitting that I'm frightened, and I would rather die than ever succumb to fear again.

Not after last time.

Never again.

I remember it clearly, all they wanted was our car. The gun men gave me and my parents time to escape, they practically threw us out, my parents left the wheel expecting me to follow, but I was scared. Frightened. Weak. I didn't move, I just folded my ten year old body into a ball at the back of the gunmens seats. When my parents realised I wasn't with them they turned back and chased the car, my mum got shot down immediately, my dad lasted longer, managing to reach the car before it gained too much speed, he held out his hand for me, I saw it, but I was too slow. The gunmen thought he was playing hero, they shot him. I stared at my parents bloody forms on the road and screamed, the gun men turned around in surprise and one aimed at me, THAT'S when I jumped out of the car... Too little, too late.

Suddenly, I turn around and remove my knives. Something's not right. I move in a slow circle straining my eyes against the dark to make out my surroundings. I could just arm myself with electricity but I don't yet have the discipline to use it carefully. I can control it to some extent, but If I loose my concentration for even a second, then people die. It's a dangerous power, better to save it for emergencies only.

I turn full circle and see nothing, but still remain in a fighting stance. There's a region of air which is darker than normal, it seems to be moving. I stab at it with my knives, again, again, again. Till it's lying still and all my anxiety is just a memory. A bigger shadow lands in front of me and I flinch backwards kicking at its stomach as it grabs my hand, I try to pull away but the grip is strong. Then suddenly a flare is lit and I see a giant bat holding onto my arm...with a broken Robin at my feet.

Oh crap...I broke Dick.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I don't own any characters apart from Alex Matthews. Unfortunately, I do not own the rights to 'Young Justice'.**

**I realised that sometimes I wrote 'Dick POV' and sometimes I write 'Robin POV'. Just to let you know, their the same people. There's no hidden meaning behind the differences.**

* * *

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

The whole journey is a blur, I couldn't concentrate, couldn't focus on anything that wasn't directly related to the boy in my arms. To the blood flowing through my fingers, there are so many holes in him. I shake my head in frustration, never once allowing tears to fall, but each second I look at him, I fear that I've killed again, that he won't wake up. "Damn you Dick. You saw what happened when Wally sneaked up on me. Damn you…"

Suddenly the car comes to a stop, and Batman takes Robin out of my hands briskly walking up the stairs and into what I assume is Dicks room in a...mansion? I walk behind them, my anger and despair steadily growing. When Batman finishes treating Robins injuries I stare at his pale, unconscious form.

I frown, deep in thought as the guilt eats away at me. Then I take a step closer to Batman, and punch him, putting all my weight behind it, making sure to dig my knuckles into his mask. I smile as I feel my wrist twist at an unnatural angle and pull back, arranging my body into a fighting stance. "Fight me." I spit out, with a jungle of brown hair hiding my wild eyes.

Batman's face remains emotionless; the only sign that I have caused any damage is the trickle of blood slipping down his jaw. "You lack control and concentration, but you are not a dangerous criminal."

"You don't know me. I'm bad; I've lied, cheated, stolen..." I look at Robin and my voice breaks slightly. "... Killed. Just beat me up, you know you want to."

Batman turns to look at Robin. "He's not dead you know."

"That doesn't change the fact that I almost lost him." I shout. My eyes widen in realisation of what I just said. "You...almost lost him. It doesn't change the fact that _you _almost lost him."

"Alex, I'm not going to punish you for a mistake, however stupid it was, just do the right thing and apologise to him."

I frown. "What makes you think I want to apologise? He's alive - you said it yourself. I don't care what happens next."

Batman walks out of the room his voice carrying towards my ears. "I think we both know that's not true."

Dick POV:

I slowly open my eyes and force my body to sit up. I wince at the sharp pains in my stomach and groan when a wave of dizziness comes over me.

The last thing I remember is going on patrol with Batman in the bad parts of Gotham. I saw the glint of a knife, but it was too dark to be sure, so I went in to identify the threat. I look around my room and notice Alex staring at me, but I have a feeling she can't actually _see_ me. I cough loudly, feeling awkward with her eyes on me. She has a broken look in those grey orbs, like everything good in the world has disappeared. I stare at her appearance; she looks like someone dragged her through a pool of blood, and then held her eyes open while forcing her to watch 'Saw'.

"Dick..." She says, her voice uncharacteristically wavering. "...you idiot."

I blink in surprise. "I'm completely confused. Why are you here? Looking like that?"

She walks towards the far corner of the room, apparently attempting to put as much distance between us as possible. "I stabbed you...Repeatedly." She whispers this, then in a strong voice with her usual attitude. "Its actually your fault if you think about it."

I raise my eyebrow. "Its _my_ fault, that _you _shoved a knife into me." I pause dramatically for a second, pretending to think. "Yep, that makes a lot of sense."

She glares at me. "You snuck up behind me in a dark street corner. In _what world_ is that a smart thing to do?"

I raise both eyebrows in realisation. "It was you with the knife...wait, what were you doing around the bad parts of Gotham?"

She scoffs. "Hey genius, this is a new world to me. I don't even know the good parts of Gotham."

I stand up and lean against the wall, attempting and failing to gain eye contact with her. "You didn't answer my question."

She looks me right in the eyes. "I was bored. Wanted to explore and get some excitement."

I laugh, my signature cackle receiving a small smile of amusement from her. "This enough excitement for you?"

I watch as her smile slowly melts away and she moves closer to me. "I think I can handle some more." Then she tilts her head, and for a brief moment hesitates, before angling her lips to meet mine.

My eyes widen and I yank my head away before our lips touch. "Are you trying to ki... kiss me?"

Alex POV:

I blink rapidly, shocked by his obvious refusal, though attempting to save my pride. "What...No, no. Don't be stupid." I plaster a tight smile onto my face and push him hard in the shoulder to further my point.

An awkward silence follows and I point to my bloody clothes then escape into a room I assume to be his bathroom. I turn on the tap to full blast, then lock the door and lean against it sliding to the floor in humiliation.

After a while I get up and stand under the showerhead removing my clothes soaked with Dicks blood. I close my eyes tight and allow my mind to drift. These feelings have changed me - turned me soft. I'm actually hiding from a guy I could probably kick around like a football. He rejected me, so I should just forget about him… it's the smart thing to do. I sigh. But its also the cowards way out, and Alex Matthews is no coward.

I step out of the shower with a new determination, a small smile gracing my features. Then I realise that my dirty clothes are missing and I have nothing to wear. Oh crap.

Dick POV:

I watch as she enters the bathroom, then I flop against the bed in exhaustion putting my head in my hands. I'm so confused. I liked Artemis, more than anything, then everything changed when Alex arrived. She was rude, and angry, and unstable, and I hated it. But...She was brave, and confident, and funny, and I loved it. Then slowly, I began to see more parts of her that I loved, her spirit, her energy, her brutal honesty. I smile to myself remembering when my 'big head' was blocking the TV screen. But even as my feelings for her grow, my feelings for Artemis still remain.

I know I don't have a chance with Artemis, but I don't want to use Alex as a constellation prize. No one wants to be second best. I couldn't do that to her. I can't do anything until I'm sure of who I like more.

I lift my head from my hands when Alfred knocks and enters. "Master Richard, I have prepared a room for Mistress Alex. Master Bruce wishes for her to stay a while in order to enhance her skills."

I nod, thinking about the awkwardness of the shared training sessions to come. The three of us in one room… Someone powerful must hate me.

Alfred clears his throat to gain my attention. "If I may ask, where is Mistress Alex?"

I point to the bathroom and he gives me a disapproving look. "In my time, this sort of behaviour was frowned upon. It was common knowledge that you waited until marriage."

I give him a clueless look. "What? Bathing was frowned upo..." My voice drifts off in realisation. He thinks Alex is taking a bath after we slept together. I shake my head rapidly. "No, no, no, we didn't...um...that's not..." I swallow hard, using all my will power not to think about _that_ whilst she's naked in the bathroom.

Alfred just shakes his head and walks out of the room, muttering the whole way. "You youths of nowadays, always so eager to follow the crowd. Why when I was fifteen..."

I close the door behind him in relief and take a huge breath to calm my speeding heart.

Alex pokes her head out of the slightly open bathroom door her face a still mask, the slight colouring of her cheeks the only indication of her embarrassment. Its a cute look on her. "This sounds really stupid, but I think your floor ate my clothes. I have nothing to wear."

She speaks to me calmly as if nothing happened between us just a few minutes ago, so I play along. "My floor?" I pause, thinking. "Oh, you mean the new laundry system we installed. Yeah, it automatically takes your clothes down to the laundry room once it touches the floor. It saves Alfred a lot of work."

She looks at me with a bored expression. "Yeeeaaaaahhhh, I still have no clothes." She says it slowly, pronouncing each word as if speaking to an idiot.

I glare at her then a slow smile spreads across my face. "Hold on a second, I'll get you something." I disappear into my huge closet and come back out with a brown, pink and green poncho.

She looks at it, then strains her head to look around me. "Yeah, so what am I gonna wear?"

I give her an evil smile and you can practically see the light bulb over her head as she has a 'eureka' moment. "If you make me wear that I will burn down your room. With you in it." She growls.

I push the poncho into her hands and re-arrange my features into a look of peace. "What a great way to go."

She rolls her eyes. Then pauses. "Where's my underwear?"

I blanch. "What u...unde..."

"Yes moron, underwear. Did you think I was going to run around commando style? In a poncho?"

"OK, hold on a second." I head towards my door, ready to beg Bruce to kill me and put me out of my misery. Tonight has been one huge embarrassing situation. I find him standing in front of me when I open the door, about to knock.

He hands me a package. "Alfred told me these would be needed. There's more in her room, along with a few hundred dollar bills for whatever she needs." He turns around grumbling as he heads towards the stairs. "Why Alfred couldn't do this humiliating task I will never know. I even had to pick out the sizes. I'm Batman for goodness sake, I should have immunity from running errands..."

"Uh, thanks." I say to the empty air, and hand it to Alex without a second thought.

After a while she comes out of the bathroom in my poncho, and walks straight into my cupboard, looking for more clothes. "Why do you even own this poncho? It looks like someone threw-up on it, then felt sorry for the throw-up and tried to burn it. But judging by the fact its here right now, I'm guessing that this level of ugliness is immune to fire."

I laugh at her melodrama. "That's what you get when you give Wally £10 and leave him alone for 5seconds. The only reason I have it is because his Aunt got nightmares when it was in their house."

She turns around to give me an amused smile. "I can see why. Nightmares, suicidal thoughts...this poncho does it all."

I laugh then begin to frown as she starts to leave with a bunch of my clothes. "What are you doing, that's my 12th favourite t-shirt, and those are my 5th favourite jeans."

She raises her eyebrow. "Cry me a river. You're rich, you can buy more Duck."

I shout at her disappearing form. "My names DICK."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever Brick."

I can just imagine the irritating smile that crosses her face right about now. I frown and climb into my bed mumbling to myself. "What type of name is 'Brick' anyway."

* * *

**I update three chapters every day (because I wrote it ages ago), and the least you guys could do is review. Writing stories is pretty difficult, and the only thing that makes it worthwhile is knowing what you guys think.**

**Thanks everyone for reading, and thanks again to 'IceFire 27' my first follower. **


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I don't own any characters apart from Alex Matthews. Unfortunately, I do not own the rights to 'Young Justice'.**

* * *

Days later:

Alex POV:

I wake up early so I can examine my room in broad daylight. I change into black shorts, a red t-shirt, and my fingerless gloves, leaving my brown hair down while clasping my knives onto each arm. I sit on my bed, suspicion clouding my thoughts. Why would a superhero, who is so secretive about his identity, allow a total stranger to live in his home? I give up on finding an answer when I smell pancakes and run down the stairs till I meet Alfred who has just prepared a huge pile.

I reach to grab one off of the plate, but Alfred stops me. "I hope you do not intend on touching these pancakes with your unwashed hands."

I pause for a second, then reach for a pancake anyway, speedily shoving it into my mouth without a plate or fork. I mimic his snooty British accent. "Indeed I do Butler Alfred." Then I walk to the Batcave to do some exploring.

His bat computer is huge; I stare at it in awe. Imagine all the movies I could watch on that thing, it would be like a big screen TVx3. I walk over to it attempting and failing to crack his password, when It hits the 3rd attempt an alarm starts blazing. I sigh in annoyance but raise my head when I hear footsteps heading in my direction. I run at the wall, and bounce off it at an angle sticking my knives into the ceiling and digging my feet into the cracks to remain in a horizontal position. Dick and Batman arrive.

Dick trails behind as Batman checks the computer. "Nothing seems to have been breached, but an attempt was made. It must have been Alex."

Dick stands at a distance from batman muttering under his breath. "Then why did you ask her to stay with us?"

Batman doesn't so much as glance at Dick. "To train her. If she agrees to join your team."

Dick frowns. Batman finishes at the computer and turns to Dick. "Do you have a problem with that." Although it's framed as a question, its spoken as a warning.

"Of course not."

Batman gives him a look. "Your face tells me a different story."

Dick shrugs and stalks out of the room. "Just forget it."

Batman follows after him but pauses slightly at the exit. "Alex, I do not appreciate my devices being tampered with. As punishment your training session will be particularly difficult."

My eyes widen slightly in surprise and my grip on my knife loosens, leaving me dangling from the ceiling by my toes. Very painful. I try to save some of my dignity and snort at him. "Please, I can handle anything you throw at me."

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

I can't handle anything he throws at me. I groan in pain and close my eyes as I land on my back for the fifteenth time in one hour. Training with Batman is tough. I shake my head in disbelief; I used to think that I was tougher. I clench my eyes shut; the receding vibrations against the floor tell me that Batman has ended the session. Lighter ones replace his heavy footsteps.

"You didn't last very long. You're weak."

I open my eyes to stare at Dick. Ever since his conversation with Batman about me joining the team, he's been really snarky. I'm _this _close to throwing him under a speeding train. I stand up and give him an acid look. "Of course not, he's a muscular giant." I spit. "Plus, he's teaching me a whole new fighting technique. You're the weak one."

Robin shakes his head. "Bats been training me for years, I'm a better hero than you'll ever be. You're just a charity case, won't last long at all."

My anger spikes and I yell in his face, shoving his shoulder. "What is your _problem_?!"

His face colours in anger and he raises his voice. "I have no problem. You're the one with the issues, you're so freaking lonely that you're clinging onto _me_. Taking over _my_ life." He shoves me back, and I stumble to gain my balance. "Poor pathetic Alex, no friends, no family, a total nobody. You only want to be a superhero for attention because you're that _desperate!"_

"_Shut up_!" I scream in anger and pounce on him, pushing him to the floor. He kicks me off and scrambles to a standing position, I follow swiftly after aiming a scissor kick at his stomach. He grabs my foot and twists it hard; I fall back onto the ground with a grunt. Recovering quickly into a sitting position, I use my hands to hold myself up and kick out with both feet.

He flips over me and I turn towards him, being rewarded with a foot to the face. "Just leave! Stop trying to replace me! I was the youngest on the team, I was Batman's favourite prodigy, I was the best in hand-to-hand combat."

I hit the mat hard, but roll around him and kick his legs under. I punch his face as he goes down. In my defence, I'm only two months younger - and its not like I planned it. "So all of this is about your petty jealousy?"

Dick struggles to a sitting position and grabs my arm, flipping me over him. "Yes, I mean, no. You've come out of nowhere and you're taking away everything that I love."

I twirl around and pin him to the floor speaking with an edge of bitterness. "Not everything. You still have Artemis."

He shakes free and shoves me off, pinning my arm behind me in a painful wrestling hold. "I never had Artemis, because I never loved her... I love _you_."

He freezes and his hold on my arm loosens, I slip out and lie on my back in shock, facing him as he kneels over me. He clears his throat and makes an awkward gesture, quickly rising from the floor and speed walking out of the room. I sit up and watch him go, processing everything that just happened with a confused frown, and wondering why the hell he thinks he can just run away from this situation.

* * *

**Hope you guys enjoyed it. Don't forget to review, good or bad will do.**

**N lots of thanks to 'IceFire 27' for the kick ass review. You made my day.  
**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I don't own any characters apart from Alex Matthews. Unfortunately, I do not own the rights to 'Young Justice'.**

* * *

Robin POV:

I pick up my pace as I leave the gym, not even stopping as I pass Alfred and Batman in the dining room. I don't know what happened, we were fighting, I was angry that she was replacing me and basically taking my spot on the team…then she mentioned Artemis and something just clicked. I realised that I didn't like Artemis the way I liked Alex.

I realised that I loved Alex.

I wasn't planning on telling her, it just came out. And now I'm not sure I can face her.

I hear footsteps behind me and turn around to a familiar set of grey eyes. "You don't get to run away Dick. You don't say things like that then just bail."

I swallow hard and decide to play dumb, desperately trying to avoid an awkward situation. "Look, if this is about our fight, I'm sorry about everything I said. I was behaving like a jealous jerk; you deserve to be on the team just as much as me. Maybe even more."

She gives me withering look. "What do you expect me to do? Cry my eyes out and thank you for apologising? Please. Of course I deserve to be on the team, I'm good and I know it." Her voice softens slightly and the hard glint in her eyes disappears. "But I'm not good with this...thing...Going on with us." She gestures to the air between us to further her point.

I clear my throat. "And what exactly is going on with us?"

She looks at me, her voice barely a whisper. "You said you loved me... So, you tell me."

I remain completely still, trying to gauge her reaction to this whole situation. "A relationship."

She gives me a small smile. "Its about time." Then she moves closer to me, leaning in till our lips merge.

I place mine against hers, the pink softness drawing me closer. Each touch lasts a little longer, feels a little better, I hold onto her waist for a good grip. My lips move slowly of their own accord; removing and reconnecting, each time with a lighter touch, relishing in the soft saltiness of her taste.

We pull apart and she smiles at me, - a genuine smile which I've never seen before. I reach to hold her hand as Batman walks out of the dining room. He looks at our bruised bodies, then down at our intertwined fingers and raises an eyebrow.

I rub the back of my neck with my hand and give him a sheepish smile. "Its a long story."

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Alex POV:

I walk into Mount Justice, now familiar with the layout after weeks of being part of the team. I stroll through the kitchen, smirking at Wally who's making out with Artemis on the couch. "That's something I could've lived without seeing." I screw up my face in mock disgust.

Artemis breaks away from Wally to throw a couch cushion at me. "Beat it Alex."

I hold my hands up in surrender. "Fine, I'll go see Robin."

I check his room but find it empty, then search in the gym. I find him doing somersaults on the balancing beam so I lean against the wall to watch. He does another flip and lands in front of me. I roll my eyes at him. "Show-off."

He laughs. "You secretly love it."

I just shrug at him. He leans in to kiss me but I pull away, smirking at his confused expression. "We're not going to be like Wally and Artemis are we? Making out everywhere? Seriously, I even caught them on the kitchen counter once."

He shakes his head and laughs. "Trust me, no-one can be like Wally and Artemis."

I nod in agreement and accept his kiss this time, slowly raising my hands to remove his mask and allow an unobstructed view of his blue orbs and long eyelashes. I smirk at him. "Are you sure you don't wear mascara?"

He gives me a look. "If I said 'no' would you even believe me?"

I snort and pat his shoulder sympathetically. "Hell no."

Suddenly an alarm goes off, signalling the sound for a mission briefing. Dick puts his mask back onto his face and turns to me. "Bet I can beat you there."

I smile broadly. "What makes you think this is going to be different from the other thirty times? If I remember correctly, you've never beaten me."

He stretches out his legs. "That's because you cheat...proudly."

I give him a devilish look. "I don't cheat..." Then I use my now mastered electrical powers to overload the light bulbs in the gym, causing them to explode and mask us in darkness. "...I just bend the rules."

Then I'm gone; running through the dark and tripping him over when he gets to the door, I laugh when I reach the lit hallway and turn around to tease him. Unfortunately, I run right into Superboy, bouncing backwards onto the floor and rubbing my head. I frown as Robin runs past me. "Damn it Superboy, you have super senses but cant see two feet in front of you. Amazing." I snap.

He growls at me clenching his fist tightly and M'gaan appears behind him to calm him down. "Alex, maybe you should go. Your...abrasive attitude is angering Superboy."

I blanch standing up and dusting myself off. "I'll show you abrasive." I take a step closer to M'gaan only intending to intimidate her a little, but Superboy pushes me and I hit the wall, landing on my ankle at an odd angle. I hiss in pain as M'gaan grabs Superboys arm and pulls him away from me. They both leave to meet with Batman and the others for briefing.

I stand up with a grunt of pain and shake my head, gently resting my weight on my good ankle I speed limp towards the others. I arrive just as Batman begins to set the assignment and Robin gives me a questioning look. I ignore him, refusing to admit that Superboy, of all people, actually injured me. Conner has no skills or techniques, just a barbarian amount of brute strength. Getting taken down by him is even more humiliating than being stopped by an archer.

Batman turns towards the huge computer. "Alex, Robin, and Wally, I want you to take this mission. A signal is being transmitted from this location in the North Pole causing the collars in Belle Reeve Prison to dysfunction, you're job is to locate and block this signal."

I nod and plaster a blank look on my face, fighting against the pain in my ankle as we walk towards the aircraft. Robin sits in front and flies it while I sit behind him, my black trousers, purple halter top and mask contrasting with Wally's bright yellow costume.

Wally gives me a goofy smile with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "You're one of us now, an honorary 'costumed freak'."

I give him a withering look at that. He just threw my words back at me from when we first met. "Oh ha ha. Very funny. You should write that down so that when you die it will be remembered for centuries."

His smile grows larger. "Good idea, but I'm not going anywhere for a long time."

I raise an eyebrow at him. "Oh really. If I throw you off the plane do you think you'd survive?"

Wally blinks in surprise then looks at Robin. "She's kidding right?"

Robin snickers and then straightens his face into a solemn expression. "I asked myself the same thing when she threatened to flush my video games."

Wally's eyes turn comically wide and me a Dick burst out laughing, he turns around for a second to high five me and I hit it back.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Robin trudges in front of us stopping to stare at the huge white cube placed smack in the middle of the North Pole.

I raise my eyebrow. "Whoever made this really has no idea how to be discreet."

Wally walks closer to the building. "Its like an enormous Rubik's cube."

Robin types on his wrist computer trying to determine the layout. "It consists of a lot of rooms, each equal in height and width. But they seem to be moving." He rubs his head. "This place is a maze...but each room is a death trap."

Wally pales and starts to whine. "I'm gonna be the first to go. In these types of situations, the funny one always dies first."

I nod. "If you mean 'funny looking', then I agree... You're a goner."

Robin hacks into the system and we enter a bare white room. "Wally, Alex, turn on your radios, stick together, and keep vigilant."

I nod in silence as Wally does the same.

Wally looks around in confusion. "Hey dude, how are we supposed to find the signal if were locked in."

I look around and realise that the door we just entered from is gone. "Hey Wally, you just said something smart. This must be a proud day for you."

He frowns at me. "I'm a science genius you know. I say smart things all the time."

The room starts filling with water, and I just nod at Wally "Yeah, yeah, Ok." My eyes go wide in panic. I can't swim. I never thought I'd ever need to swim; I have the powers of _electricity_ for goodness sake. If I use it in water I'd kill myself.

Robin looks at me and narrows his eyes. "You OK? You look a little weird."

Wally stares at me. "And you didn't reply me with an insult."

I look down at the water, which is now up to waist level. "Of course I'm OK. I'm not some wimp."

Robin gives me a look, its obvious he doesn't believe me. "Alright then. I'll use an explosive to get us out of here." But before he can remove it from his belt, two doors open on either side of the wall and Wally and Dick are sucked into different rooms.

"Damn it!" I shout as I try to follow, but the doors slam shut.

A computerized voice is heard. "Welcome to your deaths." Then the water begins to rise.

* * *

**Hope u guys enjoyed it. N just a heads up: The rest of the story if mostly from Alex POV.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I don't own any characters apart from Alex Matthews. Unfortunately, I do not own the rights to 'Young Justice'.**

* * *

Robin POV:

I land in a white room exactly the same as the one I just exited. Except that Wally and Alex are gone. I frown slightly, but I know that they can handle themselves, our mission is to stop the signal - and that is what we will do. Suddenly a computerized voice is heard. "Welcome to your deaths." Then small holes open up in the walls and the ceiling, ready to fire unnaturally long poisoned spikes at me. Ah crap.

Wally's POV:

I land on my back in an empty white room. "Dude, what's the big idea? You couldn't throw me onto something soft?" I shout into the air.

Suddenly the floor starts to open, it slants downwards into a pit of fiery lava and a computerized voice is heard. "Welcome to your deaths."

I start to slide down into the fiery lava, clawing at the smooth slanted sides. I mutter to myself. "I always thought I'd die from too many of Artemis' hits to the head."

Alex POV:

I breathe quickly, attempting and failing to subdue my rising panic. I've always been able to use my electricity or fight my way out of any situation. This feeling of being powerless is so foreign. I can't even swim, so I won't be able to stay above water once it reaches head level. If I loose control of my powers for even one second I'm dead. I just hope I really have mastered them properly, because now, when it really matters, I doubt myself.

I watch as the water rises, cocooned in a tomb of my own panic, then an idea comes to mind. I half float, half walk, over to a wall as the water reaches my neck. I remove my knives and attempt to dig them into the smooth white wall, only to find out it's made of metal.

My knives can't grip.

I stretch my neck, barely raising it over the water, and reach for my radio. "Dick! Dick? You there? Can you blow up my wall?"

The radio crackles and Dicks voice is heard. "Alex? You want me to wha-" Then his radio dies. I hit the water in frustration and as if in retaliation it rises to my mouth.

I have to jump out of the water every few seconds to speak into the radio, the pressure is getting to me, and my voice breaks holding in the tears. "Wally! Wally I'm drown-"

He cuts me off, his voice sounding preoccupied. "I know you love to hear the sound of my voice babe, but I can't talk, I'm trying not to be burned alive."

My mouth and nose fill with water, I spit it out as tears begin to slide down my cheeks. "Damn it Wally! I'm drowning here! I can't swim, I can't use my powers, and I'm pretty sure I'm having a breakdown. If you don't help me soon I will choke you through this radio!" I scream out the last words as water encompasses my whole head, in a blind panic I make the mistake of trying to breathe. The water invades my mouth and takes over my lungs; I claw at nothing, and then begin to weaken as my vision turns to darkness.

Wally POV:

There's no floor for me to stand on, eventually, the slanting dome burned up and I was left running on lava. It burns, but I'm trying to keep up my speed so that I won't sink into a fiery death, I don't know how much longer I can continue before all the skin is burned off my feet.

I'm worried about Alex though, she sounded scared, broken. And Alex is _never_ scared; it's like a rule in the cave to never even say the word 'fear' around her. A few days ago Artemis said that Alex was afraid of heights, so Alex went to the top of the mountain and jumped off. Bare it in mind that she can't fly, she didn't have a parachute, and there was no security net or comfy mat at the bottom of the 4000-foot drop. The only reason she's alive is because M'gaan used her powers to save her. She got into sooooooo much trouble. The big Bats nearly skinned her alive.

I shake my head to focus on the predicament at hand. Maybe I can try to vibrate out of here...

Robin POV:

Yes! I pump my fist in the air at my victory. I dodged every poisoned spike, having to flip and bend at unnatural angles, then I'd located the signal and transferred a virus into the computer.

I walk back to the room I was trapped in and pick up my damaged radio from the floor; one of the massive spikes had shot right through it. I drop it again with a sigh. Suddenly I hear a dripping sound behind me, I turn around to face Wally who's holding his nose to prevent blood from gushing out.

"Dude, I already told you. A bloody nose is not the same as a battle scar, so quit letting people hit you." I say in exasperation.

"What? No, I didn't…" He shakes his head in annoyance and points the wall beside me. "Alex needs help, we gotta get in there."

I simply nod and attach a bomb to the wall, ducking as it explodes. A large amount of water gushes out, the sheer pressure throwing Wally and me to the floor. The water finally stops moving revealing a prone figure. I stare at the feminine hand, latched onto the radio for dear life.

I walk closer, and when I see the open-eyed face I can't pretend that it's not her anymore.

The pale skin.

The grey pupils.

The brown hair.

_Alex._

* * *

**Keep reading guys, and tell me your thoughts: Do you hate Alex? Love her? Think she should be kinder? Or do you simply think she's a bad match for the boy wonder?**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I don't own any characters apart from Alex Matthews. Unfortunately, I do not own the rights to 'Young Justice' either.**

**Don't 4get that its rated 'M' for a reason guys. Be prepared for some hot scenes.**

* * *

Zzzzzzzzzzzz

In the Batcave I sit in the infirmary room, listening to the steady beat of her heart.

She won't make it. That's what the doctors said.

She won't make it. That's what Wally said.

She won't make it. That's what Batman said.

_Screw You._ That's what I said.

I gave her mouth-to-mouth, over and over and over again. I shouted at her, I begged her, I insulted her, hoping, no… praying, that maybe she'd come back to life just to beat me up. When everyone had given up and my heart was self-destructing, she moved her hand. She moved.

"I knew you'd make it." I whisper to her, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "I knew it." I repeat again, this time in a softer tone, not entirely sure who I'm trying to convince.

Alex POV:

I open my eyes and bolt upwards. Shit, It feels like a truck ran over me.

I blink slowly as pair of hands gently touches my shoulder. "Dick?" Then I look around at the familiar surroundings, recognising the Batcave. I rub my forehead and groan as everything comes back to me. Could I have _been_ more helpless? Slowly sitting up I raise an eyebrow at Dick. "Why you looking so worried? You didn't really think a bit of water would keep me down did you?"

He opens his mouth but no sound comes out. Then he drags his hand over his face and swallows hard. "I love you. I love you Alex. " He says in a gruff voice.

I nod. "I know." Taking a deep breath I cross my arms over my chest. "I…you know. Feel the same way."

He laughs lightly. "I know Alex." Then a devilish smile spreads across his face and he picks me up bridal style. "So, you're definitely feeling OK?"

I give him a look and squirm in his arms "Yes. But if you don't put me down, you'll be the one in the infirmary."

"Totally worth it."

I shake my head and remain silent for a while as he carries me up to his room. "Hey, how's Wally doing?"

He gives me a questioning look. "He's fine; no serious injuries. Why the sudden concern?"

He places me gently on his bed and closes the door. I shrug. "Call it curiosity."

He removes his Robin costume and lies down beside me. I raise my eyebrow, my cheeks turning a shade of pink. "When did you get so bold?"

He gives me a sad smile. "Around the fifth time you were resuscitated."

"That's right, spoil the mood." I mutter sarcastically, but remove my clothes anyway, leaving only my underwear. I crawl into his bed and we stay like that, curled against each other, until Dick shifts to a comfortable position and begins to kiss me with more passion than ever before.

Dick POV:

I move my head lower, brushing over her chest; the smooth skin is intoxicating in ways I have never before experienced. She moans, a sound I would have never imagined coming from her mouth. It has such as strong effect on me; I press closer against her, my breath hitching unsteadily, my lower region responding till it stands at attention. I climb on top of her and fumble to unhook her bra, she gasps as my hand brushes a sensitive region, then suddenly a sharp pain shoots through my body, and everything goes black.

I awaken to find Alex getting dressed. She doesn't so much as glance at me, and I rise, reaching for her hand. A look of pure confusion paints my face. "...I think I just blacked out."

She removes her hand from mine and coughs nervously. "Yeah, um, that was my fault."

"What? What did you do?"

She crouches closer to the floor, pretending to tie her shoelaces. I know this because she's wearing slippers. "I electrocuted you."

My frown, still completely lost. "I don't get it, did I do something wrong? Did you not want to have se-"

She stands up straight and interrupts me. "No…no I did. I just couldn't...It was…" She swallows hard and shakes her head, speed walking out of the room.

I stare after her, baffled beyond belief. "What just happened?"

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Alex POV:

The next morning I rise early, grabbing breakfast and hiding in the Batcave in order to avoid Dick. Damn, last night was so humiliating. He was great, I was into it, and then I just...I don't know, I got _to_ into it and lost control of my powers. How embarrassing would it be to admit that I can't make love with him because getting…excited…is dangerous.

I groan in frustration, sighing deeply I head to Mount Justice to find a better hiding spot.

Dick POV:

When morning arrives, I walk towards Alex's room determined to find out what went wrong last night. I knock on her door, but find the room empty. I frown; she's obviously avoiding me because she never gets up this early. I change into my Robin costume and head to Mount Justice hoping I will find her there.

'_Recognise RobinBO3'_. I step into the common room to find everyone lounging about. I head over to Wally. "Hey man, you seen Alex today?"

"Alex? What about me! Dude check out my feet. I'll never walk again." He whines dramatically in his loudest voice. I look at his bandaged feet.

Kaldur walks towards Wally with a disbelieving smile on his face. "Wally, unless I am mistaken, I do believe you were spotted walking towards the television this morning in order to collect the remote."

Wally whines even louder. "That was a life or death situation dude. I mean come on, the TV was stuck on a French soap opera."

I face palm then turn towards Kaldur. "Have you seen Alex today?"

He nods. "I saw her in the-"

We all stop talking when an alarm goes off signalling a mission briefing. I look around one last time but when I fail to find Alex I stand with the others. Batman starts the briefing just as Alex appears on the other side of the room from me, her purple mask hiding any emotion that might have been on her face.

Batman types on the computer showing pictures of the four criminals we will be taking down. "Poison Ivy, Icicle Junior, Klarion and Sports Master. I want Alex, Robin, M'gaan, and Wally to take this mission." He looks over to Wally, asking a silent question with his posture.

Wally just blinks at him. "Huh?"

I roll my eyes. "He wants to know if you're alright to take part in the mission."

Wally nods and mumbles. "Well why couldn't he just say that. I don't speak 'silent'."

I give him a mischievous smile. "Weren't you just saying that you couldn't walk a few seconds ago."

Wally shrugs. "I might have over-exaggerated. I've been fine for days now; I just kept the bandages to get the sympathy vote from Artemis. Has anyone else noticed that she hasn't hit my head in ages." Wally gives a smug smile.

Promptly, a pillow goes flying through the air, and hits Wally at the back of his head. Artemis stands with her arms crossed. "You are so going to get it."

Wally wiggles his eyebrows. "By 'it' you mean..."

Batman interrupts their conversation. "This is a simple 'stop and contain' mission. I want them back in Belle Reeve prison by the end of today." He turns and leaves without so much as a goodbye. Typical Bats.

Zzzzzzzzzzz

When we get to the abandoned warehouse, we hide at opposite corners inside the building. There's no movement yet, everything is clear.

Wally contacts us through the mind link that M'gaan set up. _"Nothing on my end guys, totally empty."_

Alex doesn't even try to suppress her annoyance at Wally's stupidity. _"Damn it Wally, we can all see that. This warehouse is so small I can even see your enormous mouth from my corner."_

Wally just laughs. _"Someone's touchy. Maybe If you got laid you wouldn't be so antsy all the time."_ His voice has a singsong ring to it.

I notice her eyes widen, and she screams at me through the mind link. _"You told! You told WALLY of all people!"_

I wince at the pain in my head and see Wally and M'gaan do the same. _"No way, that's just Wally being Wally. Only HE would say something like that - Doesn't know the meaning of boundaries."_

M'gaan joins in on the conversation, her mental voice sounding interested. _"So does this mean that the two of you have slept tog-"_

Wally cuts her off, his voice similar to an excited puppy. _"Robin man, mental high five! Get in there!"_

I rub my forehead as I feel Alexs' anger and embarrassment grow. _"Wally, M'gaan, shut up will you. Its not like we got very far, not after Alex electrocuted me anyway."_

"_Robin!"_ She growls. _"Shut up!"_

_"Why should I? Unlike you, I don't enjoy keeping people in the dark. All you've done all day is avoid me!"_

Wally's voice is heard in our heads. _"Ouch. Why'd you electrocute him Alex? Didn't you want to get some LOVE?" He draws out the word 'love', pitching his voice deeper to put his point across._

Her voice is a hiss. _"Drop. Dead."_

* * *

**_Hope u enjoyed it._**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I don't own any characters apart from Alex Matthews. Unfortunately, I do not own the rights to 'Young Justice'.**

* * *

Then the four villians arrive, Poison Ivy, Icicle Junior, Klarion and Sportsmaster, no doubt trying to unite and form some sort of plan. I jump out of my corner and immediately head for Poison Ivy; I've handled her before, I can take her down. I barely watch as M'gaan takes on Klarion, Kid Flash takes on Sportsmaster, and Alex takes on Icicle Junior.

She shoots vines at me and I dodge two, flipping over the third and digging in an explosive batarang. When the smoke clears I hit her in the face with a flying kick. She hits the wall with a loud thump. I turn around to see Icicle Junior being beaten to a pulp by Alex. She's so angry she hasn't even taken out her knives; she's just pounding on him.

Wow, Wally must have really pissed her off. Or maybe it was me... Nah, definitely Wally.

I shout in shock as a vine tentacle gets a vice-like grip on my ankle and swings me towards a wall. Quickly I remove a batarang and cut through the vine, landing in an awkward crouch and bouncing off the wall to hit Ivy with both feet. Another vine blocks me, so I drop to the ground and roll under it getting in close enough proximity to deliver an upper cut. I watch as she reels backwards, then I hit her with a roundhouse kick to the head, effectively knocking her out. I place an inhibitor collar on her so that she won't be able to use her powers when she wakes. I look over to Wally who has defeated Sportsmaster, and Alex who is standing motionless with her back facing us. I look at the battered body of Icicle Junior; its obvious to anyone who has eyes that Alex used way more force than was necessary. It may even be possible that she was still beating him up when he was unconscious. I frown at her explosive temper and turn to look at M'gaan who lost Klarion, apparently, he used his powers to escape.

I sigh. We've never been able to capture him; Batman put us up to an impossible task with that one.

I look around one last time. "Good job guys. I've called the League so they'll take it from here." I turn to M'gaan. "You can cut the mind link now."

She nods and her eyes glow green briefly. "Done."

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

When we arrive back at the cave I give batman a report of events, and Wally barely waits a second before shouting at the top of his lungs. "Hey guys, guess what Robin and Alex did..." He gives me a sly smile. "...or _tried_ to do-" I cut him off by covering his mouth and drag him over to the kitchen.

"Don't spread my personal business all around the cave."

He raises an eyebrow. "But you told me and M'gaan."

I face palm. "That was different. Just don't tell anyone, it's a sensitive topic for Alex."

Wally laughs. "Dude, did you seriously just put the words 'Alex' and 'sensitive' in the same sentence?!"

I punch his shoulder. "Shut it Wally, you don't know her like I do."

He rubs the injured area gingerly. "Fine, whatever, my lips are sealed."

I nod and walk off to look for Alex's new hiding spot. I find her in the gym shooting bolts of electricity at sand dummies; each one she hits seems to internally combust into a cloud of sand. I clear my throat to get her attention but she doesn't stop, instead, she increases the electricity voltage so that her bolts sheer through the sand dummies and char the wall behind.

"Alex, can we talk?"

"Get lost." She stops using her electricity to destroy the sand dummies and instead removes her knives, slashing mercilessly at their necks and chests.

I raise my eyebrows in surprise. "You're practicing kill shots."

She stops and turns around to face me. "So? You gonna run to Batman? Tell him that I'm killing an innocent dummy?"

I shake my head. "You know what I mean. You're a hero, you don't kill - so you don't need to practice those shots."

She throws her knives onto the floor and turns on me. "Oh shut up Dick, I'm not going to kill anyone. Stop acting so high and mighty." She turns back around and begins punching the dummies into submission.

I clench my teeth in annoyance. "You know what? Just forget it. That's not what I want to talk about anyway." She kicks a Dummy in the gut and then jumps to give it a strong uppercut, never once turning to look at me. I sigh. "On the mission, I know I was out of line. I shouldn't have spread our personal business around. I was just so mad that you were avoiding me and I had no idea why."

I notice that her kicks don't carry as much force and she begins to slow down. "I agree, you're a total jerk...but I'll get over it." Then she turns and begins to leave.

"Wait, where you going?"

She shrugs. "I owe Superboy a sprained ankle."

I give her a confused look. She shakes her head and waves goodbye. "Never mind. Later."

I quickly walk over to the gym door, blocking her exit. "Wait a second. We still need to discuss what went on last night."

"You want to discuss 'what went on last night?' Didn't Batman ever give you the whole 'birds and bees' talk?" She smirks at me.

My cheeks turn a dark shade of pink. "You know what I mean Alex, stop dodging the question." I move away from the door and lean against the wall. "Why did you electrocute me?" She stands unnaturally still and remains quiet. I fill in the silence. "You know, I can't just drop this. I need to know what I did wrong. If you weren't ready, its fine, I'm not angry."

She gives me an emotionless laugh. "Wow, you think this is all about you. That's one huge ego."

I grind my teeth together and let out an exasperated sigh. "If you can't open up to me, then why the heck are you in this relationship?"

She shakes her head and wanders towards a bench to sit down. "I've opened up to you more than anyone in my life. But I don't need to share everything. Some things are just too humiliating."

I move to sit beside her. "What can be more humiliating than having your girlfriend run away after she's felt your…" I cough, my cheeks tinting. "Package."

She turns to frown at me. "There you go again, thinking everything is about you. What happened has nothing to do with the size of your peni-"

"Then what _was_ the problem? Because that sounds like the only logical explanation."

Her face flushes red and she furrows her brow, turning her head away from me. "It was me. I couldn't handle the… stimulation." She takes a deep breath. "I wanted to sleep with you; you made me feel so good, but then I started feeling...really, really, good… and I just lost control of my powers."

There's a long silence, and then I clear my throat, rubbing a hand over my red face. "Oh."

She stands up and begins pacing around the room, her words pouring out faster with each second. "I don't think I can sleep with you yet, I'd loose control completely; I could put you in a coma, I could kill you, I could..."

I grab her shoulder and turn her around to face me, planting a gentle kiss on her lips. I pull back and run a hand through my hair. "Shut up Alex."

She gives me a smile, still avoiding eye contact. "That's cute, you think you can tell me what to do."

I give her a hug and whisper in her ear. "Take as much time as you need to handle the...feelings. I can wait for you."

She nods quickly, eager to drop the subject. "Right."

We stay like that for a few seconds until I pull back. "Hey, if you really want to learn to control your powers when you're feeling, you know, _that_ way - you need to practice."

She shrugs non-committedly. I wiggle my eyebrows like Wally. "So let's practice." I say before pulling her down to the gym floor and initiating a heavy make-out session.

* * *

**Read n' Review guys. Your views can only make me a better writer.**

**Hope u enjoyed.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I don't own any characters apart from Alex Matthews. Unfortunately, I do not own the rights to 'Young Justice'.**

* * *

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Alex POV:

Its been a few months since me and Dick had that humiliating conversation, but things between us are good. They only get awkward when he goes too far in the make out sessions and I have to stop him before I loose control. I've been hoping that today might be different, maybe I'll be able to keep control and finally sleep with him, it would make today a memorable 16th birthday.

I've been waiting in Wally's room for over 30mins now, Dick said something about the three of us hanging out together. Even though he hasn't mentioned my birthday, I'm pretty sure this is going to be a celebration thing he planned out. I smile in excitement; I only told Dick about my birthday because I wanted it to become a special day for just the to of us.

I look over at Wally. "How can you still be talking when I haven't even replied once?"

He gives me a sheepish smile and shrugs. "Really? I hadn't noticed."

I roll my eyes in annoyance; I can't believe Dick invited Wally to come to my birthday surprise. More importantly, I can't believe he's late to celebrate it. "This is a waste of my time. I'm out. Tell Dick I'm not sticking arou-"

Dick appears in the doorframe in dark sunglasses, a black t-shirt with a blue bird on it, and black jeans. "Hey guys, you ready?"

"No, I was just waiting with Wally because I enjoy his company." I frown, putting a steely edge to my sarcastic words.

Wally protests from behind me. "Hey!"

Dick raises his eyebrows. "What's with you?"

My frown deepens. He hasn't even said happy birthday. Is he trying to pretend that he forgot? Why would he do that when he's obviously taking me out to celebrate? I stare at him in confusion then shake my head. "Nothing. We going or what."

Dick gives me a funny look then suggests that we take the motorcycles and I nod in agreement. When we hit the road Wally swerves around me writing a figure eight with the motorcycle fumes. I shout at him through the comm unit in my helmet. "Quit it you overgrown five year old."

Wally laughs. "I don't think so."

I growl into my comm unit to Dick. "Why the heck is Wally coming along? It should be just the two of us."

Dicks voice crackles through to my ear. "What? I wanted the three of us to hang out as friends; we're only going for pizza. Did you think this was a date? We can go out tomorrow if you want."

I bulk in surprise loosing control of my motorcycle, as it swerves off the road I'm frozen to the seat in realisation. Dick doesn't know it's my birthday. He didn't remember. Just as my motorcycle is about to take a nosedive against a building, Wally pulls me off and we fall heavily onto the pavement. I wince as we land and the motorcycle explodes around us.

He stands up and offers his hand to me. "I just saved your life. Hope you know I'll never let you live this down."

I take his hand and start to haul myself up. "Wouldn't have it any other way."

He gives me a mischievous grin and let's go of my hand. I gasp in surprise and fall back onto the ground. I narrow my eyes at him. "If you wake up tomorrow morning with broken bones, don't be surprised."

He gives a hearty laugh as If I just told a funny joke, instead of promising him bodily injuries. I stand up with a still face, refusing to show any emotion as Dick approaches. "Crap, that was close. You OK Alex? Are you hurt? How you feeling?"

"Give it a rest Dick. I've had loads of near death experiences, and Its never bothered me." I say bitterly.

Wally has a thoughtful look on his face. "Actually, you had a serious breakdown that time when you almost drowned."

I resist the urge to strangle Wally and walk away, remembering to give the red head a sharp punch in the stomach before I get onto his motorcycle.

Wally sputters at me."Owwww...You can't take my bike, where am I gonna ride?"

I shrug as I put on his helmet. "With your moronic twin." I say, tilting my head in Dicks direction. Mustering as much self-restraint as possible, I manage to prevent myself from 'accidently' running into Dick as I drive off. "Maybe, just maybe, if I'm really good for the rest of the day, a meteor will crush him."

A few seconds later Dick and Wally appear in the bike beside me. I ignore them but Dick tries to contact me through the comm link, his voice sounds weary. "What's with you Alex? What did I do this time?"

"What makes you think you did something?"

He snorts. "Oh, I don't know. How about the fact that you just wished a meteor would crush me."

"You heard that huh."

"Yes, you didn't exactly turn your comm link off."

I shrug. "It doesn't even matter. Its not like I was wishing for a huge meteor. Just one that was large enough to knock you unconscious."

Wally's sarcastic voice is heard through the comm link. "Ladies and Gentlemen, that's what you call true love."

Dick addresses Wally. "Man, turn your comm link off."

Wally smiles. "No can do bro. This is gold. Its like one of those movies where there's a jerky boyfriend, and a sugar sweet girlfriend fighting it out. And dude I hate to say it... But you're the sugar sweet girlfriend in this story."

Dick's voice growls annoyed. "Shut up and turn off your comm, this is a private conversation."

"You're joking right? This convo hasn't been private from the second we put on the helmets." Wally states.

I turn my head slightly in his direction. "What are you babbling about Wally?"

He shrugs. "Batman sent the rest of the team on a mission. He said he wouldn't need us, but they've got their comm units on the same frequency. They can hear everything we're saying."

I frown, they must be using Mgaans mind link to communicate, otherwise we would have heard them as well. I turn to Wally, seriously tempted to knock him off Dicks motorcycle. "Why didn't you mention it before? I grind out.

Wally gives me an innocent look. "Um...I forgot?"

Dick angles his bike closer to mine, I notice the second he realises that we can't communicate without the comm units. The wind will blow his voice away. "We need to talk."

I shake my head, frustrated with the lack of privacy. "No. You _want_ to talk. There's a huge difference." Then I turn off my comm, refusing to allow my teammates another second of my relationship gossip.

I watch as he tries to contact me but fails, then he turns off his comm unit and speeds ahead. Leading the way to his favourite pizza place.

Dick POV:

Wally squirms on my motorcycle, once again turning around to try and speak to Alex. I roll my eyes beneath my helmet and shades. "Quit it Wally. She can't hear you, and she doesn't want to talk."

Wally turns back around and grabs onto my shoulders. "Dude, what did you do? She looks ready to rip your head off."

I remain silent, void of an answer because I have no idea what I did. I come to a halt outside 'Mario Pizzas' in Gotham City and remove my helmet, I watch as Wally does the same, turning off his comm unit and putting the helmet on the seat. Alex stops beside us and removes her helmet, her brown hair tumbling out in an attractive mess.

She looks over at Wally who's drooling at a picture of a double cheese pepperoni pizza, and smirks. "Close your mouth redhead, the stench is attracting flies."

Wally shuts his mouth and looks over at Alex, he immediately gets a huge grin on his face. "What's up with your hair queen Frankenstein? It looks like a rats nest."

I walk into the restaurant with Wally and Alex behind me, from the corner of my eye I see Alex shrug. "At least it looks better than your face."

We find a table with four seats and Alex sits by herself with me and Wally opposite. "This is my favourite restaurant. How you guys finding it?"

Alex sneers at me. "Its a filthy building, smack in the middle of a deadly city, and I'm surrounded by rodents." She gives a Wally a pointed look, when mentioning rodents. "So detective, have a wild guess...how do you think I'm finding it?" She says with a cold voice. Even Wally stays silent at her level of venom.

I stand up from the table and glare at Alex, she glares back her eyes never once wavering. The three of us were supposed to hang out as mates: just me, my best friend, and my girlfriend - but she's being a total pain. I know how people see her: she's a hard person to get along with, the type of girl you wouldn't go out of your way to impress. But I see more - every insult has an edge of funny wit, every glare is a chance to stare into her eyes, and when she smiles… when she gives a genuine smile, you realise that she's a sweet, charming girl.

You just have to love her long enough to see it.

But dating Alex has always been an uphill battle, and throughout the whole of today she's been grating on my nerves. Sometimes I think that our relationship is harder than most, after all, her anger gives us an extra obstacle to overcome. Then I question why everything's so hard, love seems to have made my life more complicated. And right now I'm sick of it.

Wally glances at me, then at Alex, as we continue our stare down. He clears his throat in an uncomfortable manner. "Well...this isn't awkward at all."

Ignoring Wally I stomp over to Alex and grab her arm, pulling her towards the exit. "We're talking. Now."

The second we're out of sight of the restaurant I let go of her, and she leans against the wall of a building with her arms folded. "You can't drag me out of a restaurant then expect me to talk to you."

I groan. "Listen, I don't know what your problem is, and right now I don't care. You've been treating me like trash." I give a harsh laugh. "What am I saying? You're treating me the same way you treat everyone else." I rub my hand over my face and take a deep breath to calm my anger. "You need to understand that nobody sees you the way I do. Most of our teammates are even struggling to accept you. And even though you won't admit it, I know you care about them." I soften my voice. "But if you don't start treating people better, you're going to loose everyone. You're going to loose me."

* * *

**Hope u lot enjoyed it. **

**This is my favourite chapter cause you can see where both people r coming from: Alex is treating Robin like crap so hes bound to be pissed. But Robin did forget the most important day of her life. **

**Or did he? The Boy Wonder could surprise you.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I don't own any characters apart from Alex Matthews. Unfortunately, I do not own the rights to 'Young Justice'.**

* * *

Alex POV:

I force my body to stay slouched against the wall, outwardly portraying a picture of serenity. Meanwhile, my mind whirls into overdrive and wave of anger washes over me.

Maybe I can be a bit difficult with people, especially my teammates. But In my defence: Wally's annoying, Superboy lacks a working brain, M'gaans painfully naïve, Kaldur never lightens up, and come on, Artemis...she's an archer. That really says it all. Plus, she's Dick's ex-crush. There must be some kind of universal girl-code that says I'm allowed to hate her.

And yet, there's a part of me that views them as family.

I raise an eyebrow, hiding all of my pain behind suspiciously dry eyes. His words hit a nerve... or ten thousand. "I didn't know you felt like that, and to be honest I really don't care." I push off of the wall; only catching a glimpse of his grim expression before I turn and speed walk out of his view. I stroll aimlessly, attempting to get control of my anger before returning to the restaurant. I pause at the corner of a building, sitting down on the pavement to reflect on my situation.

It feels like my relationship is close to breaking, and it all comes down to me. To my behaviour.

Its not fair.

Today was supposed to be a test; if he remembered my birthday then I would have proof that he cares, and that he wouldn't abandon me like so many others. But he forgot. I care about him more than I do for anyone else; he's the one region of happiness in my life. If I loose him, then I am truly, undeniably, irrevocably alone.

I run my hands through my hair grinding my teeth, then I stand-up and kick a dent in the skip beside me, my leather jacket catching on a loose hook. I observe the damage, pausing when I notice an obscure figure in the distance. He seems to be watching me.

I blink rapidly and look again but the figure is gone. Suddenly a hand grasps my neck and smacks me into a wall. I grunt in pain and surprise. As the mysterious figure twists to throw me onto the ground, I flip into the air, landing on the heels of my feet and stumbling backwards. Losing my balance I fall onto my back and catch a glimpse of a white face and green hair.

I jump up as he approaches and aim a crescent kick at his head; he dodges easily, twisting my hand behind my back. I cry out in pain then stomp on his foot causing his grip on my arm to loosen. Then I spin around to deliver a sweep kick not noticing when he jumps up and places a mini bomb on me. I'm thrown to the ground by the blast, my ears ringing and my jacket torn. I roll over and raise my arms, ready to blast him to extinction, but only a tiny crackle escapes. I shut my eyes tightly in disbelief. The whole mess with Dick is disrupting my concentration; my fighting is bad, and now I can't even get my powers to work.

I watch as the man looms over me, taking in his wide red lips, and made-up face. I've seen pictures of him, heard stories from Batman, acknowledged the fear that Dick carries, and now he's here. The Joker.

He reaches down and grabs my hair and I struggle against his hold, disgusted by my own weakness, then he slams my head against the pavement floor and the whole world disappears in a whirlwind of silence.

Dick POV:

I turn and head back to the restaurant, reluctant to follow her and re-start the argument. I'm tempted to give up on her, to break this relationship and go back to a simple life...If only it was that easy.

If I end it now, I'm turning my back on the most important girl in my life; I'm opening myself up to jealousy and heartache. But most importantly, I'm hurting her. I can't do that to the girl I love. I frown, deep in thought as I enter the pizza restaurant.

Wally is sitting at our table with a pile of plates in front of him; he waves over to me with a childlike glee in his eyes. "Where you been? You're missing out on the _best_ pizza ever." As I sit down he looks around. "Hey man, where's Alex?"

I rest my head on the table and shrug at Wally with a dejected tone of voice. "Your guess is as good as mine."

He stops eating for a nanosecond to give me a concerned look. "Everything alright dude?"

I shake my head and let out a heavy sigh. "Can we just go please?"

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

When I arrive at the mountain I stay in my room for hours, only leaving to go to the kitchen. I regret the action as soon as the others notice me; frowning as I deflect all the teams' questions. After hearing part of our conversation through the comm unit and realising that Alex is nowhere to be found, they'd instantly assumed we'd split up. Most of them dance around the subject, trying and failing to be subtle, whereas Superboy flat out asks me if I've been dumped.

I rub my forehead in annoyance, raising my voice to get everyone's attention. "Can you guys just leave it? Me and Alex are..." I trail off, unable to finish the sentence. Are we good, bad, finished? I frown. "Just stay out of my personal life."

Kaldur looks around the room, voicing what the others are probably thinking. "We are worried. You seem to be in a state of high emotional stress."

I back away from the group hoping to disappear before anyone else tries to analyse me, but M'gaan pipes up. "And we haven't heard from Alex since you and Wally came back."

"That shouldn't be a surprise. Its Alex we're talking about." I say.

Kaldur nods. "Under normal circumstances I would agree, however, Batman called for a mission briefing while you were in your room. She did not arrive."

Wally sits up on the couch, removing his arm from Artemis' waist. "Yeah man, she lives to kick butt. If she doesn't arrive for a mission briefing, then something is seriously wrong."

I shake my head and turn to walk away. "We had an argument and she left. She's probably still pissed or something."

Wally puts a hand on my shoulder. "Dude, she doesn't have her comm link, she missed a mission briefing, and Batman's tracked her motorcycle...Its exactly where we left it. So wherever she is, she didn't go there of her own free will."

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Alex POV:

I awake dangling upside down from a metal pole, which is protruding out of the top of Wayne Enterprises. My arms and feet are bound and a stray breeze leaves me swinging dangerously from side to side. I look down at the busy street below, barely able to see the people pointing. I notice a news helicopter, then a van pulls up releasing a wave of reporters and camera men, probably sending live footage of me to every TV station. No doubt that the Justice League and my team members are watching this.

I mutter in distaste. "Amazing. A girl is dangling from a rooftop and the newscasters get here before the police."

I angle my eyes upwards, feeling the vibrations of feet as the Joker approaches. "Alex Matthews I presume. Nice to meet you, oh, I forgot, I'm the one who put you there."

I frown. He seems a little...off. "What do you want?"

He grasps onto the metal pole and leans down slightly towards me. "Fame, fortune, power...shall I go on?" His face stretches into an unnatural grin.

I repress a shudder, fully aware of the cameras and voice recorders, which are publicising the situation. "I meant, what do you want with me?"

"You're Alex Matthews, second prodigy of Batman. The perfect bait to get him into the open so I can destroy him."

"You're crazy, Robin is the perfect bait." I falter slightly as I mention Dick, hit by the turmoil of our now fragile relationship.

"Yes, the little bird would have been ideal, but he is constantly surrounded by those annoying super teenagers. You on the other hand, are an easy target. The lone wolf of the group."

"What?! I'll show you an 'easy target'!" I yell, struggling against the binds on my hands and feet. When I fail to loosen them I attempt to concentrate my electrical powers to burn through the binds on my hands, but fail largely. The waves of electricity shoot around my body, not only disintegrating all of the binds, but continuing through the pole towards the Joker.

I cross my legs over the metal pipe and swing upwards to grab hold of it with my hands. I end up hanging in an up-right position, but as I attempt to propel myself onto the building, the Joker shouts and I freeze as electricity begins to pass through his body. He convulses in pain as the bright sparks of blue energy tear through him. When the electricity dissipates, thin tendrils of smoke lift from his arms and he tilts precariously over the edge of the building, eventually falling towards a concrete death.

I grab onto his hair with one hand just before he sails out of my reach, and gasp as I feel the muscles in my arm stretch. I clench my eyes shut as the burning pain increases in both arms, the friction of my curled palm against the metal pole feels scorching hot. But I can't let go of him. I can't be responsible for killing again. Especially not with the League, my team, and Dick watching. I want them to be able to accept me as a hero. I want Dick to see me as a good person...I just hope they forget I put the Joker in this position to begin with.

Joker opens his eyes and smiles at me. "I know. You know. The whole world knows that your goal was to kill me. So let go, stop holding on."

I shake my head. "As tempting as that sounds, I'm not trying to kill you, my powers just got out of control."

"What kinds of superhero are you if you cant even control your own powers? You're more dangerous than any criminal. You're a villain, not a hero."

I turn my face away from him, the cameras in the helicopter, and the ones down below, refusing to allow anyone to see my strong reaction towards his words. It causes memories of my own dimension to resurface (back when the government hunted me because I was seen as a threat.) Even though I now have a strong control on my powers, sometimes my emotions still mess with it. Like now- I had no intention of blowing the Joker off the roof, but to the whole world...to Dick, it would look like I tried and failed.

The Joker reaches up to claw at my arm. I snap at him. "You delusional clown, do you want to die?!"

He let's out a loud cackle. "You're just like me. You're a self-centered egomaniac, even now, the only reason you're saving me is to look good in front of the cameras."

I clench my fist tighter into his hair, feeling the joints in my shoulder pop. "You know nothing about me."

"Neither do your teammates. You're not a team player, you don't want to depend on anybody but yourself... you have the qualities of a true villain."

"Shut up!" I shout in rage. My shoulder pops again, and this time I can't stop the hiss of pain as my grip on the Jokers hair loosens and he slips through my hands. My eyes widen as I watch him fall out of reach and my face pales to a chalky hue as I notice the abnormal grin plastered to his face.

I turn my head and close my eyes just before he hits the ground. Sucking in a large breath I swing onto the building, finally able to gain momentum now that his extra weight isn't pulling me down. I turn around, prepared to run away from the scene, but I'm met with a foot to the face. I tumble backwards and land on my butt, my head hanging over the edge of the building. I hold my broken nose with my hand and look up to see the Joker.

He claps his hand like a child. "That was a fun game."

I stand up, blood trickling out of my nose, my voice wobbling in surprise. "Your dead."

He laughs. "Really? When did that happen? And why wasn't I told?"

I suppress a shiver. "I saw you die." I state.

"Did you really?" He says, clapping his hands like a child.

I look down over the edge of the building, and at the bottom lies mechanical body parts. I stare in confusion. "Is that a robot? Was I speaking to a robot? The whole time?"

"Yes... I told you this game was fun."

I run at him in a fit of anger, overcoming my shock in an instant. He made me think that I'd done the unthinkable; that I'd killed again. And for a split second I thought of myself as a villain. I aim a hard punch at his throat, instantly missing my knives; he stabs my arm with a hidden needle.

I flinch backwards as he whispers in my ear. "I'm bored of waiting for Batman. Time to end this game."

He aims a fast kick to my ribs and I attempt to flip out of the way, but my reaction time seems to have reduced and my limbs feel heavy and slow. My vision blurs and I realise that he injected me with something. The needle wasn't just to harm me. His kick lands and I tumble onto the concrete, clutching at my broken ribs.

I clench my eyes shut tightly against the many cameras; Ashamed that everyone is watching me being beaten down so easily. The Joker approaches me again and kicks me in the stomach; I choke out a puddle of blood, fully aware of my own helplessness. Whatever substance the Joker injected me with has left my limbs paralysed. He removes a knife and embeds it into my chest. I release a high-pitched screech of pain, and attempt to move my arms and pull it out. But I can't.

I stare at him as he yawns and drags me towards the edge of the building by my hair. "You hardly put up a fight. You're no fun." Then he flings me over the edge, the news helicopter following to capture every second of my ultimate demise.

* * *

***shrug* Guess the Boy Wonder really did forget Alexs b-day.**

**Just think about it: If he hadn't forgotten, maybe none of this would have happened.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I don't own any characters apart from Alex Matthews. Unfortunately, I do not own the rights to 'Young Justice' either.**

* * *

Robin snatches me out of the air and we land on an opposite building as Batman descends on the Joker. All cameras focus on the Dark Knight, no longer interested in a damaged prodigy, they want the real thing.

I look into Robins mask, blood dribbling from every part of my face. "I was fine on my own. I didn't need you." I lie.

He rests my head on his arm, avoiding the knife in my chest. "I know. You're Alex Matthews, you would have beat him." He whispers, playing along.

"Just out of curiosity; what took you so long?" I rasp through my split lip.

"Batman."

I give him a quizzical look before crashing into unconsciousness as my drug and pain induced body finally gives in.

Zzzzzzzzzzz

Alex POV:

I wake up in the infirmary at Mount Justice. Every area of my body is sore and my mind feels foggy. I sit up and wince as my limbs protest; I have bandages around my arm and abdomen. I look around the room to find a sleeping Robin at my side and let out a sad smile. He saved my life, even though our relationship was practically over.

I sit up and painfully struggle to a standing position, fighting against a wave of nausea. I look down at my blue vest top and black jeans, bloodied and torn in the corner of the room, then notice that the hospital gown I'm wearing. I sit back down on the bed and cross my arms, refusing to leave this infirmary without proper clothes.

Robin wakes up and raises his head to look at me. "You went through hell." He scratches his head and looks around the room awkwardly. "The, uh… teams glad you're alright.""

I raise my eyebrow, aggravating a fresh stitch. "Yeah OK. But are you?"

He shrugs but remains silent so I change the route of the conversation. "How long have I been out?"

"Three days now." He says, standing up and rubbing the back of his neck self-consciously.

I growl, angry that half my birthday was spent arguing, and the other half was spent being beaten up. "What an awesome birthday."

He gives me a quizzical look. "Birthday? What are you talking about?"

I give him a bitter smile. "I'm talking about my birthday genius. You know...the one you forgot."

He seems confused for a few more seconds before his eyes light up in realisation. "Oh man, did I...I forgot... Alex I'm so sorry." He runs his hand through his hair. "Wait a minute, is that why you were acting so weird?"

"Duh."

"Damn it Alex. Why didn't you just _tell_ me? Why did you have to act like such a drama queen and make it into a big deal."

"Oh my bad, was I supposed to be all happy and bubbly!?" I hiss, and then frown. "Besides, I still had a little hope that you'd remember." I snort. "Stupid right?"

Dick shakes his head, then whispers. "I'll make it up to you."

_No you wont. _I think, but drop the subject. "So, how are we? As a… couple."

He looks at me for a long five seconds. "...We're good."

I narrow my eyes at him suspiciously and fold my arms. "Just like that? Thought you were tired of my attitude."

"I am. And its something that you really need to work on, but every relationship has its problems, I guess this is ours." I hear him take in a huge breath. "I'm not letting go of you. Not for anything."

I fight against a smile. "Then you'd better hold on tight. I'm pretty sure even Superboy will check me out if I enter the lounge in this." I wave at my paper-thin hospital gown. "I don't even want to know who put me into it." I mutter.

Dick looks away from my face, only now taking in my clothes, or lack of. His cheeks colour red and he looks away quickly. "I…I should go now. Need to talk to Wally anyway."

I give him a small smile as he leaves, pleased that he still gets embarrassed whenever he sees me half dressed.

Dick POV:

I walk around the mountain looking for Wally. Three days ago he was going crazy when Bats stopped him from saving Alex. I was pretty annoyed as well. Ok, not annoyed...I punched Bruce in the face.

I frown at the memory. Bruce wouldn't let the team interfere because it was happening in Gotham. He's territorial like that. Then he said that I couldn't go until Alex was out of the Jokers reach, because the second we we're spotted he wouldn't need Alex anymore. He would kill her.

But I couldn't wait and watch what was happening. I couldn't be as calm and collected as Bruce. He didn't flinch once. Not when Alex's' nose was crushed, not when her ribs cracked, not when a knife was stabbed into her chest. Not once. I couldn't handle it, she was being beaten up and we were watching it like some sick reality show. When I tried to leave, he stopped me and I punched him. My face pales at the memory; the look on his face. I'm surprised he didn't kill me.

I find Wally in the lounge; he looks up when I enter. "Hey man, how's things going?"

"Good, I've sorted things out with Alex."

He runs over to give me a high five. "Nice. Now you and Alex can go on a double date with me and Artemis."

I blink in surprise. "Where did that come from?"

He falls back onto the couch and whines. "Artemis' been nagging me about going on a 'proper' date, and I thought it would put less pressure on me if you and Alex came."

"Why can't you just go with Superboy and M'gaan?"

"Come on dude, we both know how they are. Superboys bound to do something stupid, and then M'gaan will be crying for the rest of the date." He sits up to turn on the TV. "You'd be doing me a huge favour man."

I groan. "Fine, fine. I'll talk to her."

"Sweet!" Wally says, punching his fist in the air. "Batman told us she's up on her feet, but I haven't seen her yet. How's she doing?"

I push his legs off the couch to make room so I can sit down. "You know Alex, she's tough. She'll probably be fighting again by this afternoon."

"No offence man, but she didn't seem so tough with the Joker. She went down fast, she was so... _not_ Alex."

I nod slowly. "Yeah, I noticed that. Her powers were messed up as well."

"You guys done? Or would you prefer for me to step out so you can continue gossiping." I turn around at Alex's voice, taking in her black jeans and baggy red t-shirt.

Alex POV:

Wally zooms over to envelopes me in a suffocating hug. I wince as my ribs protest. "Get off." He drops me and I frown at him, trying to hide the pain he caused to my ribs.

"Glad you're OK Alex."

"Really? Seems to me like your trying to cause more pain." I mutter. I walk over to the couch and sit beside Dick. "So what were you two ladies gossiping about?"

He rolls his eyes at me. "Nothing important, Wally was just asking if we would go on a double date with him and Artemis."

I blanch. They want me to go on a double date with Artemis. Dicks ex-crush. How can they _not _see how weird that would be for me?

Wally speeds over to the couch. "Come on Alex, please. For me."

I frown. To be honest, apart from Dick, Wally is the closest person to me in the team. I see him as a big brother, a really, really, annoying big brother. "No."

Wally squeezes onto the couch between me and Dick and I shove his shoulder away when it hits my jaw. Seriously, the guy is all limbs.

Dick let's out a loud sigh of annoyance. "Wally, you _do_ know that there are other seats right?"

He just shrugs. "I want to be near my best friend and my little sister."

I scoff, attempting to hide my smile at the words 'little sister'. Apparently he sees me the same way I see him. Like family. "Who's your little sis? Dick?" I tease. "You know, now that you mention it I can see the resemblance."

"Hey!" Dick protests as Wally laughs. "I'm not a girl."

I raise an eyebrow, teasing him. I secretly hate the fact that his eyelashes are longer than mine. "Then why do you wear all that mascara?"

He face palms. "I told you before, I don't wear mascara."

Wally butts in to our meaningless argument. "Guys! Guys! I need to know if you're coming with me and Artemis. Please say yes."

I fold my arms over my chest. "Already told you Wally, I can't go."

"Why?" Dick and Wally ask in unison. I stand up from the couch and walk towards the kitchen. "Because I don't want to." I bite out.

Wally gets a sly smile on his face. "Are you scared?"

My head shoots towards him. "Shut it Wally."

He walks over to me, a devilish grin on his face. "What are you afraid of? It's just a double date. Artemis isn't going to beat you up or anything."

My blood begins to boil and I snarl at him, lowering my voice to prevent Dick from hearing. "She couldn't beat me if she tried. I just don't want to hang out with a girl Dick had a thing for."

Wally gives me a serious look. "He's my best friend. Trust me, I'd know if he still liked her. You have nothing to worry about."

I frown at him, despising the serious sensitive way he's speaking to me. Like I'm going to break down in tears. I shove past him with a drink in my hand, signalling the end of 'feelings time'. "Please. I never said I was worried. I'll go."

Wally runs over to Dick. "Hey dude, Alex said yes. I'll call you when its time."

* * *

**Dont you just love Wally? Im thinking of making him the main character in my next story.**

**Dont 4get 2 Read and Review guys.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I don't own any characters apart from Alex Matthews. Unfortunately, I do not own the rights to 'Young Justice'.**

**In case it aint obvious: This is Alex POV. :)**

* * *

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

I slide under Superboy's arm, scratching the material of my purple halter-top, and rolling to the side to avoid his punch. I look at him through the webbings of my purple mask and draw the knives strapped to each of my arms.

Black Canary calls out at me. "No weapons. This training session is all about winning when the odds are against you."

I sigh and re-strap my knives, muttering to myself. "If I can't take down this walking brick wall a second time, then my name isn't Alex Matthews."

He runs at me in a fit of rage (damn, I forgot he has super hearing), and the other team members move back to give him room. I flip over his head, grunting as my ribs protest. Black Canary didn't want me to join in with the group training session, since I just got out of the infirmary this morning. It took a lot to convince her I was good to fight, but I managed it. I had to. Losing to the Joker so quickly really shook my confidence, I don't want my emotions to ever get the better of me again.

I land on the ground with all fours, trying to turn my sloppy flip into a stylish crawl. I stand up to give him a high kick to the head, but he flies at me with a speed I didn't know he had. I turn my head slightly towards Black Canary and the group, taking a step away from Superboy's advancing form. "Why is he using his powers when its hand-to-hand combat practice?"

Black Canary turns to Superboy as he speeds closer to me. "Superboy, no powers. Keep it simple."

He stops, and growls at her. "You don't control me. I do what I want."

I raise my eyebrows at that, and a foreign feeling takes over. I think its respect. "Wow. The brain-dead wrestler has guts." I whisper to myself, remembering Dick's problem with my 'rudeness'.

Superboy picks it up with his super hearing and I almost face palm as he charges towards me again. I twist sideways, and his meaty fist misses my face by an inch, instead, pounding into my shoulder. The superhuman punch knocks me backwards and I hit the wall, bouncing off it like a rag doll. I stand up slowly, fully aware of the opened stitches in my stomach, and the fresh bruise on the back of my head.

Black Canary is the first to notice the blood seeping through my halter-top. "That's it. Enough. Both of you stand down."

"No." I say, tasting blood in my mouth. I think somewhere in that whole painful experience, I bit my tongue. "That would make him the winner."

Robin frowns at me. He seems to be doing that a lot lately, and its becoming less cute and more annoying. "It doesn't matter Alex, you can always fight him another time. Your hurt."

I shake my head; sometimes Dick just doesn't get me. "I'm going to fight. And I'm going to win."

Black Canary steps inbetween me and Superboy with a grave face. "I wasn't asking. I was telling. Stand down Alex."

I falter for a second, unwilling to face off against Black Canary. After all, a true hero knows when they're out matched. But still desperate to beat Superboy I lower my head slightly and nod at her, taking a step away till she turns back to the group. I build up my power to full voltage, fully aware of Superboy's indestructability, and allow waves of blue energy to caress my body. I run towards him and flip over BC, aiming my hands at his chest in mid air. The blast of electricity hits him so forcefully that he goes flying backwards and crashes through a wall. A satisfied smile grows on my face, and I remove my knives chasing after him. I pause at the edge of the window, letting out a heavy sigh and squinting till I see a small spec down below.

"Alright! I won." I'm met with silence and disapproving looks. I stare at an angry Black Canary and blink innocently. "What? What did I do?"

She walks over to me and grasps my upper arm in a vice-like grip. I try to shove her away but she ends up dragging me down the hall calling out to the other members to continue training. I glance backwards to see Superboy's head as he manages to climb back into the building through the man-sized hole. I stick my tongue out.

Black Canary releases my arm when we enter the hall. "You're suspended from missions till further notice."

"What?" I shout. "Are you joking? I'm one of the best. You need me."

"You disobeyed a direct order in training. If you were to do that on the field it could get you and your teammates killed."

I stare at her in disbelief, then shout in anger. "Fine. I don't care anyway. Your stupid missions are... are...stupid!" I fumble.

She rubs her temple and sighs. "Get your stomach re-stitched, check your lungs for damage and take a look at the bump on your head, you could have a concussion. Now, we're done here."

I watch as she walks away, then I sink to the floor. Fighting is my life, its all I know and all I am. When I fight with the team I feel like we're getting to know each other. They become family, and we develop a type of bond I've never known before. Black Canary just broke that bond. I put my head in my lap in depression and breath deeply as my bruised lungs burn. I hear footsteps but refuse to look up. "Robin don't come and give me a lecture about being 'nicer' to Superboy, or 'following orders'. You're my boyfriend, not my dad."

He sits down next to me and I look up. "Why would I do that? You really taught Superboy a lesson." He smiles.

I look at him for a few seconds then smile back. "Maybe you do get me."

He tilts his head to kiss me, and I gladly press my lips against his. He smiles and shoves my shoulder gently. "If _you_ didn't kick Superboys butt, _I_ would have. I was just worried about your safety." He looks down at my halter-top. "Your top is soaked." He helps me up and we walk to the infirmary.

He breaks the silence. "So what happened with Black Canary?"

I sit down on an infirmary bed as one of the league members re-do my stitches. "Nothing serious, she just yelled at me." I lie.

Robin nods and looks at my stitches. "You think you're going to be alright for our next mission?"

I scoff. "Duh, I'm Alex Matthews."

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

I walk beside Wally as we get closer to the fancy restaurant, the dark night sky camouflaging Dicks hair as he walks ahead with Artemis. I stare daggers at them.

"Wally you owe me big time."

He nods. "I know. A double date with you guys will definitely take the pressure off me."

I roll my eyes as Artemis laughs at something Dick says. Why is she laughing so hard? Dick's not _that_ funny. With a sour face I turn to Wally. "Why isn't this killing you?"

He shrugs. "Because there's nothing between them. Besides, Artemis is two years older than Dick. It's sorta like me and you. She just sees him as a friend."

I nod in understanding, but slow my pace. "I hate this dress, and I hate these high heels...Why don't we just bail? I know you don't want to be here either."

Wally pauses, then shakes his head. "I invited you and Robin, so I can't just leave him. Besides, Artemis would kill me, she really wants a 'proper' date."

I shrug. "Fine, but I'm going. This fancy restaurant place isn't really my thing, and I know it isn't yours either."

I walk away, trying and failing to pick up speed because of the tight red dress M'gaan leant me. Unable to walk fast enough, I decide to hobble away in style, fully aware that Dick and Artemis could turn around and catch me at any second.

Wally suddenly appears beside me. "Let's go. I'll just apologise to Artemis and Dick when we see them later."

I smirk and raise my eyebrow. "Really? I won't." I take a few more steps in my skin tight dress, then just give up. "Let's go to the cave and change. You're carrying me."

He shakes his head, but stops anyway. Smoothing out his black suit so I can climb on his back. "Let me get this right… you live with Alfred, but you've got _no_ manners?"

I hold on tight to his neck. "Yup. Was that supposed to be an insult? You need to work on those." I say patting his back sympathetically.

We arrive at the cave and I change into my hero costume and put on my mask. Wally's waiting for me in front of the zeta tube in his civvies as I walk over. "You know, I don't even need a mask anymore. Not after the stunt that the Joker pulled. Everyone pretty much knows me."

Wally has a questioning look on his face. "Why are you in your costume anyway?"

"Why aren't _you_?" I counter.

"I thought we were going to hang out, you know, do something fun. Not kick butt."

I tie my hair up in a low ponytail. "Kicking butt _is_ fun."

Wally shakes his head. "Its creepy how you and Rob are so alike."

I smirk. "Get your costume on and let's pound some bad guys." I strap my knives onto each of my arms and lead the way to Gotham city.

Wally walks beside me in the dark streets of Gotham, none the wiser to my intentions. I plan to take down the Joker tonight. If I can jail him all by myself then Black Canary will have to realise that I'm too good for the team to do without, I'll be back on missions in a second. I sneak a glance a Wally, rolling my eyes at his overly bright flash costume. I didn't exactly want him to follow me, my original plan was to get him away from the restaurant and lock him in his room. That way I could use him as an alibi; everyone would think we were together and he wouldn't be able to say otherwise.

I frown as he bounces in front of me; you'd think he was a little kid in a candy store, not a superhero walking through the deadliest city in existence. I slow down, positioning myself behind him, tapping his shoulder I wait until he turns around, then punch him in the face. He goes down, instantly unconscious, and I walk away to find the Joker.

* * *

**Hope u enjoyed it. R and R guys.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I don't own any characters apart from Alex Matthews. Unfortunately, I do not own the rights to 'Young Justice'.**

* * *

My footsteps echoe as I walk into the warehouse, the moon casting odd shadows on the concrete floor. "I know you're in here Joker. You hunted me down, caught me when I was emotionally vulnerable. But now I'm ready for you, and I've got a lot to prove." Something moves swiftly, blocking the glow from the moon for only a second. I spin around and unsheathe my knives, channelling blue waves of electricity into them as I search for him. "Come out you pathetic clown. You broke my ribs, punctured my lungs, stabbed my arm, and dislocated my shoulder. Then you left me for dead." I spin around when I feel a breath on my neck. "So forgive me if I feel a little too much pleasure in putting you away." I sneer.

Suddenly a hand wraps around my neck from behind, and I raise my knife to point at the ceiling, shooting a bolt of electricity at it. A huge chunk of concrete comes falling down, and the pressure on my neck is gone as he jumps backwards to avoid being crushed. I turn around and face the Joker. The king of crazy.

He smiles at me, and his mouth suddenly seems too big for his face. "Are you really alive? Or are you just an angry ghost? Because I refuse to fight a ghost; its against my moral code."

I ignore his crazy chatter and lunge at him, attempting to plunge my knife into his thigh and slow his movements. He dodges it, and my knife barely slices flesh. I twist my body into a strong roundhouse kick, refusing to give him any recovery time. My foot hits his jaw and a tooth goes flying. I flip out of the way as he tries to stab me with a needle, and smirk. "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." I shoot low energy bolts at him, missing him each time by a few centimetres. He cackles, and I pause in confusion at his confident tone. He shows me a button in his hand, and I curse in realisation as I notice a bomb on my top. I try to tear if off, but it doesn't budge and panic settles in when the high-pitched beeping gets faster. I quickly remove my top and throw it towards him; feeling completely exposed in only a white bra.

The blast flings me across the warehouse and I go flying through a window, the glass cutting at my exposed flesh. I suck in a quick breath as I skid across the road, a sharp rock finding its way deep into my side as I tumble. There's a ringing in my ears and I see a flash of yellow; blinking rapidly I wipe away the blood on my forehead and stand up, pressing my hand against my bleeding side.

"Alex you OK? Its Wally." He waves a hand in front of my face and I frown as he comes into view.

I push him off me. "What the hell are you doing here?"

He raises an eyebrow at me and says in a bitter voice. "You knocked me unconscious and left me in the streets of _GOTHAM_ at _night_. Yet, I still saved you from a fiery death. How about being a little grateful for a change."

I narrow my eyes at him. "You didn't save me from a 'fiery death'. All you did was pick me up when the explosion was done. Not really heroic if you ask me."

I press my hand harder against my stabbed side to staunch the flow, my face turning white with the loss of blood. "Get lost Wally. This is my fight; I need to be the one to take Joker down."

Robin suddenly appears dragging an unconscious Joker behind him. "You did take him down."

I twist my head to look at Wally. "Damn it Wally, you brought Dick?!"

His cheeks turn a bright shade of red as I catch him staring at my chest, and he falters to gain his composure again. "You scared the hell out of me, I had no idea where you were. I knew Dick would be able find you."

I frown and look at them. "Well you can go, I obviously don't need you." I turn to Robin. "Both of you."

They don't move; they both seem frozen in place ignoring my words. I follow the direction of their eyes.

Wally is glancing at my chest, and I suppress an embarrassed moan. I forgot that I only had on my bra. He drags his eyes away. "Alex cover up will you? I do not need to see this."

"Sure, I'll just make a t-shirt out of thin air." I snap at him.

I stand there with red cheeks attempting to save some of my dignity, whilst Robin stares at the stab wound on my side. Wow, Ladies and Gentlemen this is my boyfriend. I'm standing right in front of him, half naked, and he doesn't even sneak a peek.

I press my hand against my wound harder, refusing to admit any weakness. Robin walks closer to me with a bashful look and removes his cape, tying it around my shoulders without once glancing upwards. He's either a real gentleman, or just more humiliated than I am. I give him a grateful nod but say nothing, following Wally as he begins to walk away with the Joker in his arms.

"You could have been killed." Robin rushes out.

I keep walking, unable to face him. "I knew what I was doing."

"Why didn't you ask for help? Why didn't you ask _me_?" He emphasises.

"I wanted to fight alone."

He pauses, with a grave tone. "Even if you died alone."

I falter in my step. "Alright, what is this really about Dick?"

He shakes his head. "I've been speaking with Black Canary and the team, we've decided you're off the squad. Permanently."

My eyes widen. "You have _got_ to be kidding me! Everything I did was to get Black Canary to stop my suspension!" I fold my arms and take a step closer to him. "You're my boyfriend, you're supposed to have my back. Not throw me under the bus."

"This has got nothing to do with our relationship. You're not a team player Alex; everyone agreed with that. You don't listen to orders, you abandon teammates and you put your goals above everything else."

My face turns red, and I shake in anger bearing my teeth at him. "You bastard." I spit, my hands crackling with electricity. "You agreed with them. You wanted me off the team just as much as everyone else." I should have known they'd betray me - they'd leave me. I finally found somewhere I belonged, finally found a family, only for all of it to be ripped away. Robin raises a hand as if to rest it on my shoulder. A wave of electricity flares over my body as he steps closer. "Take another step… and I will kill you." I swallow hard and whisper. "Whether I mean to or not."

He drops his hand back down and runs it through his hair. "This isn't personal, but what you pulled today was the last straw; Wally could have been killed… It's the best for the team Alex."

I stand still, anger and pain radiating from every pore in my body. My family is leaving me all over again, this time their throwing me out, and being brave isn't doing squat. My eyes start to fill with water and I angle it towards the floor, so that neither guy can see. "I wouldn't let anyone hurt Wally. Only I'm allowed to do that." I joke weakly.

Wally drops the Joker and turns around with a sad look on his face. "You're like the sister I never had Al. I would risk my life to make sure you were safe, but you just proved that you wouldn't do the same. I don't know how I could trust someone like that on the team."

My electricity dies out and I'm left shrouded in blackness. I feel like my chest is closing up, and my heart is breaking in twenty different ways.

I'm loosing everyone.

I've lost everyone.

I allow my eyes to dry, then harden my voice, placing a barrier against me and my emotions. "Man up Wally, you're still alive, so what exactly are you whining about?"

"Damn it Alex!" Wally shouts at me. I blink in surprise then quickly glue an interested smirk onto my face. He continues raising his voice. "I was left vulnerable in the worlds most deadliest city. Man, If that's how you treat someone you care about, I hate to see what you do to someone you hate."

I shrug, looking at both of them with feigned indifference. "Whatever. I get how it is. I'm out of your lives."

Dick takes a small step towards me. "I didn't say I wanted you out of my life, just… just out of the team."

I raise my eyebrow spitting out a venomous voice. "Its the same thing moron."

Wally interrupts us, looking around. "Where's the Joker gone?"

I look around as Dick does the same, then I frown and shrug. "Its not my problem anymore. I'm not part of the team, hell, I'm not even a superhero." Then I turn around and walk away from the two most important people in my life.

Dick POV:

I watch as Alex leaves, completely forgetting about the Joker for a second. "I had to do it." I say into the empty space in front of me as I look dejectedly at Alex's back.

A hand rests on my shoulder. "You did the right thing man."

I sigh heavily. "Yeah, I know, the team has to come first." I say, channelling Batman. "But I…I think we just broke up." I swallow hard and walk away from Wally, heading towards Bruce's mansion.

Alex POV:

I sit in my room at the Wayne mansion, all my anger drained, and only bitterness remaining. I don't have a family anymore, thanks to Dick. No team, no purpose, no boyfriend.

So, I need to move on, forget about what I've lost.

I stand up, and walk around the room, packing my things into a backpack as I come to a conclusion. I remove the cape that Dick gave me, folding it slowly and placing it on my bed. Then I bandage my bleeding side, putting on a black long sleeved top. I use my knives to cut slices into the arms and chest region, and then strap them onto my upper arms. I put on a red miniskirt, black tights, and black combat boots. Then I wear a red mask, which covers half my face, and use dark red lipstick. I head into the bathroom and dye my hair midnight black as I take a pair of scissors and cut it short. I use my hands to style it into messy spikes and then stand back to observe my new look. Alex Matthews is gone.

I give a small smile at my reflection. No one will recognise me, I'll be able to start over. This time I wont have any stupid ties. If I trust nobody, rely on nobody, love nobody... then nobody will leave me, and nobody will hurt me.

I take a pen out of my draw and write a small note for Dick before I leave: 'You showed me a different path, a better way to live. Take care Duck.'

I take one last look around my room and then climb out of the window, hearing the sound of Alfred greeting Dick downstairs. I flip over Bruce's gate and head out of Gotham City, looking for the lairs of the superhero criminals.

I need to fight; its not what I do, its who I am. And if I can't fight for the good side, then what other choice do I have? At least this way I'm truly starting over - no one to love, no one to hate, no one to trust, no one to leave.

I close my eyes tightly, making a silent vow to never use my powers again. I'll have to survive without them if I want to be accepted as a super villain, otherwise it'll be a dead give away to my true identity. I think about this as my backpack swings against my shoulder.

This is now the life of Mia Sanders.

* * *

**Hope u enjoyed it. Tell me your thoughts.**

**N don't worry, this story is just beginning. Keep a look out for book 2 : 'Queen of Loners'**


End file.
